You're a business owner, you're a long-term planner and you'd like to have a succession plan that benefits you and the people who've helped you build the business.If that's the case, then the you'd probably like to:
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) can help you achieve these goals. Many books and articles are available on this subject. So I'll keep this article short and simply hope that it stirred your interest in starting an ESOP to the extent that you'll research it further.
Related sidebar: 80% of America's workforce are employed by businesses with less than 100 employees. The future of our social security system is suspect. Wouldn't it be great if more citizens actually owned part of the business they work for? Think of the advantages for everyone involved.
Big ideas can come from anywhere and occur at anytime. But, for those times when your creative engine is stalled and the ideas aren't coming, here are a couple of proven ways to get "unstuck."This one you should do alone. Find a quiet place where you can just relax and stare off into space. Clear your mind. Think only about the problem. When a solution comes to mind, scribble it down on a piece of paper - without looking at the paper. The reason? Staring at your notes is distracting and can cause you to lose focus. Ever wonder why some of your best thinking comes to you at night? It's because this time is typically when you're most relaxed and your mind is at its clearest. Here's a second technique. Grab your digital camera and set out to capture pictures that might inspire new thinking or creative ideas. The more quirky the subjects, the better. Set a goal for yourself, such as 15 images. Whether you use these images or not doesn't matter. The real value of this exercise is that it forces you to start thinking visually. A change in your environment can help get the creative juices flowing. Finally, a third technique that always works: Have faith. The ideas will come.
Ever wonder why so much stuff on the Internet is free? What brought about such a precedent, and how do sites manage to make money by giving their products away? According to a recent Wired article the answer lies in traditional media, stretching all the way back to the Gillette "give away the razors, sell the blades" model. In the digital online age, these tried-and-true giveaway strategies are taken to realms of scale and interactivity that lie beyond simply exchanging cash for services and goods.
Thanks to Google, we now have a handy way to convert from reputation (PageRank) to attention (traffic) to money (ads). Anything you can consistently convert to cash is a form of currency itself, and Google plays the role of central banker for these new economies.
Central to the online freeconomics explosion are the non-existant marginal costs associated with digital content distribution. Once you imagine the world as a place in which everything is free, you have to ask yourself: what is it you're really selling? On the user-created, self-policed streets of the online marketplace, commerce isn't just about money - it's also about respect and honesty. And marketers everywhere are challenged daily to overhaul their messaging to adapt to these new, more personal currencies.
Web 2.0 is playing a large role in the 2008 presidential campaign, enabling candidates to reach millions of voters and truly engage them in the political process. This has been accomplished through the rise of social media, which is now a vital component of a candidate's marketing strategy. This emerging political marketing strategy serves as an example to brand marketers looking at social media as a way to influence consumers.
Tapping into this audience allows candidates the opportunity to get their message distributed virally in an interactive environment. This increases their reach exponentially and, often, with greater influence given the level of voluntary consumer advocacy — something most brands want. A lot can be learned from the campaigns' creative and successful use of this marketing platform. Keep watching!