MJWARD UK LTD

This week stared off manic, some seriously long days working on client websites, new projects and SEO! Tidy Design is very fortunate to be a busy little business that requires minimal marketing due to its organic SERPs, reputation and repeat business from existing clients… A position we got in through lots and lot of hard work.

The only negative (which is not really a negative) is that I sometimes work 24/7 on other company sites and find little (if any) time to allocate to my own projects! Yes, we are looking for some help with client updates, coding work and the general running of Tidy Design however this has taken a back seat due to personal and other business commitments… Anyway, forwards and upwards as they say!

The good news is that on Thursday / Friday of this week I found several hours to work on two sites I setup close to my heart. The first site I looked over was Plot of Land for Sale, a site I have been debating selling over recent weeks along with my plot in London to raise money for another venture.

The second site I looking over, fixing several CSS bugs and adding new promotional banners is Business Networking Link. Both of these sites see a reasonable amount of unique traffic each month, and both are structured to generate MJWARD UK LTD an income whilst we sleep. For me, that is the ultimate business model! However, for now the combined income of these two sites is not enough to retire… So time spent on improving, developing and marketing them is vital for their success.

Throughout 2011 I aim to spend much more time on the new sites / projects I have already started, the finish-line to have several high ranking sites generating MJWARD UK LTD an income with minimal effort from myself. Who knows, maybe I will then sell a couple of sites / domains to competitors or people looking to buy a profitable domain / business model.

For now it is all about hard work, dedication and the completion of projects… So on that note, I’d better get back to work! Have a great weekend and please visit again soon!

The last couple of weeks have been a strange time for business owners! Many people have been off work and enjoying bank holiday weekend, after bank holiday weekend, the weather has been amazing, sales of BBQ’s probably through the roof, and the overall vibe / coverage of a royal wedding made many of us proud to be British!

That said, it is now Friday and my mind-set is ‘back to business!’ … Although the break was lovely, probably needed and also refreshing, I do feel like May 2011 needs to be a good month financially to make up for time away and the disruption to day-to-day business.

Ok, being self-employed or running a business is awesome, however the downside is that many of us need to work very hard to pay wages or get paid… So, shorter weeks, time away from the office, suppliers / clients combining annual leave with statutory holidays etc has slowed down business for many of us. Yes, it has been great fun spending time away with family, allocating just 15mins a day to emails, not thinking about business, money or web design projects… But today is the day I say “back to business!”

Wishing all readers, fellow bloggers and business folk a great May 2011!

A couple of years ago I purchased the domain LuxuryGuestHouses.co.uk, you could say I have this weird connection to the hospitality industry (having worked for so many companies) and I’ve always wanted to own / develop my own directory or SEO tool to help hoteliers escape high agent commissions… You will see under the ‘Our Business’ tab above a link to the commission free booking system we already licence out to hotels and B&B’s in the UK, so I guess Luxury Guest Houses is one of its USP, or maybe the other way round! I think it is good to develop / add unique selling points to a business, it gives you an edge over your competitors!

This weekend I pretty much revamped the Luxury Guest House website and created bespoke directories for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales… The plan now is to throw some SEO into the equation and sell advertising space to luxury hotels, bed & breakfasts and guesthouses across the UK… My theory is this, if X250 properties signed up in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales that totals 1000 listings… Divide this into the 100+ catchment areas / web pages I created over the weekend, then that’s only 10 listings per page! If we now factor in the Google Adsense that generates money per click and multiply the total number of listings by £10 per annum, then we get £10,000 p/a. Ok, this may sound like easy money, however the initial time investment will be more than you think, white-hat SEO and the site development will be on-going… But yes, with time it will generate a tidy little income!

So there you have it, a basic business plan that I hope will develop and become much bigger and better as time goes by! If you have a dream or new business idea then I say go for it, act now and develop things as you go… We can all fall into a trap, spending months / years planning and thinking about how, when or if we are going to start something new… Remember, in business and life it is important to act NOW!

Let’s face it; setting up a new business in today’s economic climate is not going to be easy! My wife and I have not long got back from a brisk walk through Southsea, Portsmouth… It is sad to see a couple of new shops boarded up, likely closed down due to poor trade over the snowy winter months, job losses, poor marketing or spending cuts… I think all business owners would agree that obstacles and challenging times are all part of being in business!

If you are seriously considering a change of career or entering the world of business then one option could be to buy a business already established in your local area, this way the company name and some form of brand awareness / reputation should already be in place, making a little less work for you!

If on the other hand you choose to setup your own business from scratch, then having a finish line in place is very important! I mean it is all well and good working hard, establishing a new brand and growing your company… However, what about when enough is enough or when you choose to retire? Will a family member take over or will you decide to sell your business, maybe to a competitor or business investor?

Today I searched Google for “Businesses for Sale in Hampshire” to see what kind of websites, prices and businesses I’d come across. I found most business listings contained similar data such as the asking price, turnover, net profit, descriptions and keywords etc… I also found several banners and links that said buying a franchise is another great way to take on an established business identity, something you may wish to consider before starting or buying a business.

So, it would seem that there is no shortage of businesses for sale in Hampshire and the surrounding areas. However, unlike the start-up route some serious capital will be needed if you are buying into a franchise or taking over a business.

If you are selling a business in Hampshire then I would love to hear from you, maybe you could post some info about your company below. The same goes for those of you looking for businesses for sale in Hampshire, what things will you be looking for in terms of a business investment?

So, our first week back in business of 2011 and I must say it has been very productive! Several to-do’s that have been on my list for some time now (you know the ones, the kind you should to do but put off because they are not as important as others!) got done! Our accounts are up to date thanks to Wifey, and we touched base with pretty much all clients / projects following the festive vacation! All in all a great first week back in the office!

Running and owning primarily a service based business (Tidy Design) our money is made by charging clients for the time we spend doing work for them! Ok, this is great because our growing client base allows us to work a 9 to 5 week, thus generating enough income to pay wages etc, however we are still limited to the physical hours we can work!

Having worked some shitty jobs in my past I am truly grateful to be where I am right now! Ok, you could argue I am working yet another weekend / evening or I am unable to switch off sometimes, however this high-octane life we call ‘business’ is something I personally enjoy! If you do something you enjoy then you could argue is it really work?

I know typing this blog post on a Saturday evening will not make me a millionaire over night! However, spread regular blog posts out over 12 to 24 months and they will really boost a sites search results with Google, Yahoo and Bing… The knock on effect being overall improved SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) and lots more lovely readers!

It is no secret; throughout 2011 I aim to blog a lot! As well as this I will be focusing my time and energy on increasing the number of products we sell in comparison to services… As much as I love web design and the bond Tidy Design has with several of our clients, the fact is we can all only work so many hours a day! A service based business is often limited to the man hours you have available! My plan is to create several high ranking blogs that charge companies for add space (or offer sellable products we develop), in theory allowing us to make money whilst we sleep! If you want to be successful then don’t sell your time by the hour, instead do an hour’s work and make sure that work continues to earn you money!

So what is the smart approach to making money, and can you really put this into a sentence or paragraph for all to read? I personally avoid all ‘Get Rich Quick’ schemes like the plague! What I have learnt in the very short time I have been in business (about 4 years now!) is that there is no such thing as a free lunch! Everything in life and business involves some kind of long term planning, detailed preparation and lots of hard work!

My theory on a smart approach to making money is to find a comfortable balance between products and services… Don’t rely completely on say ‘new business’ or ‘selling your time’… Why not incorporate repeat business into your company so you can re-sell a service / product to your existing clients… Offering value is also VERY important for any business, make sure what you give customers is worth every penny!

So how can you generate income from delivering value? Well, if you can truly create and deliver value to your clients then opportunities will literally jump out at you! Real value is something we all search for, recession or no recession! If you can incorporate this value into your brand, then you should find your brand selling itself through word of mouth and reputation!

So to conclude… Although money opens many doors and creates opportunity, if you focus all your energy into making money, you may find a long and lonely road ahead of you! For me, the smart approach to making money is doing something you truly enjoy, something that inspires others and offers real value to all involved! This way, even if you don’t become the next Warren Buffett, at least you had a fun journey!

I would say create the brand, incorporate some real value, work hard, develop your services V products and then the money should come to you! I hope you found some value within this article? You will find lots more information on business, investments and internet marketing in our ‘Personal Development’ area… Membership to is a one off fee of just £20!

Please feel free to post your comments and feedback below as I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.