dmiracle

Just another WordPress site

Dawud Miracle
Dawud Miracle - Advice to grow your small business

In Troubled Economic Times, Be Smart & Be Bold

written on 1 May, 2012 by Dawud Miracle

Let’s face it, our economy here in the U.S. is in trouble. As a nation, and as individuals, we’ve out-spent our means and overextended our lives while saving less than ever before in history. And after decades of being inflated, it appears our economy is entering a readjustment period. This isn’t, necessarily, a bad thing. Yes, people will lose jobs, companies will go under and house will foreclose.

Yet if you run a small, independent business, the economy has far less impact on your business than you think. So you’re likely not facing the doomsday that’s being talked about with every newscast and editorial.

Unless you believe you are. But remember, as a service provider, you have much more opportunity in these times than corporations do.

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

The Single, Most Important Question You Can Answer About Your Business

written on 28 January, 2012 by Dawud Miracle

why.jpgWhy?

Really, that’s it.

Why?

It’s the most important question to ask yourself about your business. It’s also the most important question to answer.

Why?

Simple – you have to know the reasons…the motivations…the rationelle for everything you do.

Nothing you do, say, create, experience, generate, design, produce, promote, develop or decide upon should go without you asking, “why!

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

Comments: 53 Comments › join the conversation
Topics for Discussion:  

Why You Want Your Business To Forever Be Unfinished

written on 17 January, 2012 by Dawud Miracle

workinprogress.jpgI want to share a business secret with you. It’s a secret that you may know already – a least mentally. Yet it’s a secret that often separates highly successful businesses from the less successful ones.

Are you ready? Okay…

No matter how well developed your business is; no matter how many years you’ve been doing it, how many customers you’ve served, how much money you’re making – your business will forever be a work in progress.

I heard this years ago from a colleague and fluffed it off with the usual, “yeah, of course!” But I was missing the juice of it. Only recently have I gotten a clear understanding of what it means. And only recently have I taken a close look at how having an unfinished business is the secret to success. [ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

Small Business Owner: Do You Know When To Ask For Help?

written on 19 December, 2011 by Dawud Miracle

I’ve always been a do-it-yourselfer. I’ve taught myself a great many things by taking this attitude.

When I bought my first house, I completely gutted it – down to the timbers in most rooms. In other places, we removed and moved walls. For instance, I created a large, walk-in closet in our huge bedroom where there was once a little coat room.

When it came to moving plumbing, rerouting and adding electrical, drywall, replacing subfloor, moving my toilets and bathtub drains – I basically did it all. And in most cases, I took to each project never having done it before.

But at some point, you have to live in  your house. And that means it has to get done – as my wife might say, “be livable.”

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

Small Business Advice: Are You Enlightened?

written on 28 September, 2011 by Dawud Miracle

lao-tzu.jpg

I was reading from Lao-tzu’s Tao Te Ching last night when I ran across an interesting quote:

He who knows others is wise;
He who knows himself is enlightened.

The passage made me stop and contemplate my own life. How well do I know myself? I went down that path for a bit of time; looking at my aspects and considering what I might be blind about.

Naturally, I soon turned to business. I thought about how much of marketing is focused on the consumer or the client. I wondered what I might learn about my business if I applied Lao-tzu’s words to marketing. So I rewrote the passage to say:

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

Comments: 69 Comments › join the conversation
Topics for Discussion:  

Marketing vs. Advertising: Is There a Difference?

written on 28 January, 2011 by Dawud Miracle

I’m certain that you market your business. But, do you advertise your business?

I’ve heard so many web-based small business owners do their best to avoid using the word advertise that I’ve begun to wonder why. I’ve worked with enough clients offline to know that it’s not small business owners in general. Offline businesses use advertising constantly to get the word out about their business.

But it seems different for online small businesses. Somehow it seems that the word advertise is unclean or dishonest or something. While I haven’t quite put my finger on it, it is obvious that online small business tend to look at advertising differently. They often don’t consider placing ads – even Google Adwords.

This strikes me as odd because a few, well-placed advertisements can often drive far more than business than their cost.

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

8 Common & Critical Small Business Website Mistakes You Don't Want to Make

written on 30 October, 2010 by Dawud Miracle

8-critical-website-mistakesWith small businesses one fact is true today, your business website should be a central hub for your business.

Your business website should effectively represent your brand while providing ways for your leads to easily engage you. All roads in your business should lead back to your website, making it the pivot point for all your marketing. And you want to treat your website that way.

Furthermore, having a website opens the possibility to not just market to your leads, but to create a powerful touch point for engaging your audience in conversation and building relationships with your prospects and clients.

So if you want a successful business, and I believe you do, it only make sense to create a website that fuels the growth of your business.

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

4 Simple Questions That Make the Difference Between Business Success & Business Duress

written on 14 July, 2010 by Dawud Miracle

Do you consider your coaching business or healing practice successful? Or is your small business causing your duress?

If it’s the latter, there are steps you can take to help you go from business duress to business success.

Last week I introduced 4 simple questions to help you start and grow your business. They are the same 4 questions I use with my clients every day. They’re purposefully simple. Yet behind their simplicity lies all the depth and detail you need to create a successful business. Answer these questions fully and you’ll be on your way.

So let’s review what the four questions are:

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

Is Your Business About Relationships? …and Why It Should Be!

written on 28 June, 2010 by Dawud Miracle

What is your business about?

Is it about branding and marketing? I’m sure it is. Is your business about sales and profits? I sure hope so. And is it about making some difference in the world? Ideally, that would be nice.

But branding, marketing, sales and making a difference require one thing – relationships. Ultimately, business is about relationships. Doesn’t matter whether you’re selling products or pitching services, ultimately people buy because they trust you. And trust comes from developing a relationship – even if that relationship is built from content on your website.

Whenever I work in my business, make plans etc, I always think about people. I remember that it’s people that I’m doing business with not some segment of niche market (though I may use the terms). And I remember that my own clients hire not my business, but me; they hire me. While they may like, want or need what I know or can teach them, ultimately they’re working with me because of the relationship we’ve built – and are building.

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

The Absolute, #1 Reason Small Business Owners Should Be Blogging

written on 24 June, 2010 by Dawud Miracle

Poke around the web and you’ll find numerous opinions on why, as a small business owner, you should be blogging.

Some say you should blog to increase your reach. Blogs can certainly help you reach a larger audience faster, and often cheaper, than your usual website. Toss in social media and you can gain a large following quickly. So it’s gotta be reach, right?

It could be. But increasing the reach of your website doesn’t mean you’ll land more clients or get more customers. The blogosphere is full of bloggers who have tons of traffic and are making pennies.

Another oft-quoted reason for blogging is search engine optimization. And it’s true, there are some pretty major SEO benefits to blogging. Blog posts tend to be more keyword centric since often they’re on a specific topic. Then there’s the backlinking opportunities that can come with a well-written blog post. So it’s gotta be the SEO factor, doesn’t it?

[ continue reading & share your thoughts → ]

© 2003–2012 Dawud Miracle LLC  •  303/835-6905  •  contact me  •  about me  •  work with me  •  sitemap  •  rss feed  •  hosted with Rackspace Cloud