Business cards are a great way for your business to get it’s name out into the world. Small, and convenient, these little cards provide your customers with your name and all your contact information, and because they’re portable, your customers will be able to take your name with them wherever they go (an advantage over online advertising).
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Next to having your own company website, the “in” thing now is to be part of an SME business networking site, a take-off from successful social networking sites like Facebook.com, Friendster.com, MySpace.com, Multiply.com, and LiveJournal.com.

This is exactly how SME Solutions, Inc., an IT-enabling company owned by Planters Development Bank, envisioned Bizster.com.ph to be. Still in its beta mode, Bizster has attracted already over 200 members and subscribers after just two months in cyberspace.
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1. If I have to, I’m willing to lower my standard of living for a while (avoid using mobile phone to call and cut back non essentials like having a coffee break at Starbucks) while trying to get my business off the ground.

True. Being self-employed usually entails a lot of work, especially when you’re just starting out with your business. You may even often feel that what you’re earning isn’t enough for all the effort you put in and stress you get.
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Being honest helps hone your vision for the company.

While you may be tempted to hype sales figures or inflate projections to make yourself feel better, don’t. These little untruths will come back to bite you. Convincing yourself that things are great, or even OK, when they are really terrible creates serious trouble sooner or later. Successful business people admit they need help. They are willing to acknowledge mistakes and change direction, no matter how embarrassed or upset they may feel. They base their decisions on fact, not fiction, and take responsibility for their actions.
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