7. Let Them Know You're an Expert When newsworthy stories become available, media often look for a local expert for quotes and comments. Contact your local or national media, and let them know you are available to comment on topics within your area of expertise. Suppose your expertise is ecommerce, for example. Next time your local paper has an ecommerce-related story, they just might contact you for a comment. You (and your business) will get some excellent and cost-free publicity.

8. Get T-shirts and Go Public Decorate t-shirts with your company's logo. Sign up your staff to participate in charity walks and other community events. Ensure that everyone wears t-shirts.

9. Donate Something to a Local Charity Donate books, used computers, products or services to a school or charity. In one community, local businesses attracted enormous publicity by organizing an event in which they outfitted adolescent youth from low-income families for spring prom. Participating clothing shops, beauticians, florists, even taxi companies got in on act and attracted enormous publicity while doing good works.

10. Publicize a New Product, Service or Research Finding Have something new to offer? If it's at all unique in your area, write your press release and send it to media and trade journals. Even if you get mentioned in gossip column of a trade journal, it's still good publicity!

11. Offer Something Unique Local shops in one community worked together to hold a Men's Night and shortly before Holidays. Males received assistance in purchasing lingerie, perfumes, jewelry and accessories for woman in their lives. It was a new concept in area and a big success. The media loved it.

================================================ How to Write Business Plans, Business Proposals, JV Contracts, Human Resource Package, More! No-cost ebook "Beginners Guide to Ecommerce". Business Writing by Nightcats Multimedia Productions http://www.nightcats.com ================================================

~~Recognize your strengths and work from them:. Acknowledge your weaknesses and failures (life's way of providing feedback) and grow from them. Read The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber... it's a "must have" business book.

~~Create a strong business foundation: a business plan, marketing plan, and operations manual. Follow them. Create forms and processes to keep you on track, etc. Choose to be organized and consistent. Your clients and employees will appreciate it!

~~Develop your boundaries and standards. They affect your business too! There are some wonderful Top Ten Lists on both topics at www.topten.org.

~~When business is no longer fun, it is time to reassess what you are doing. Even better - step back and assess your "fun" quotient every six months. Hey! Maybe its time to take your vacation!!

~~If you do not have enough time in your life, work with your coach to pinpoint tasks that you may be able to delegate or eliminate. You may want to look into hiring a Virtual Assistant www.coachmaria.com/coaching.html#Virtual.

~~Listen to others and consider outside advice. Incorporate what you like into your plan. However, do not feel pressured to adopt another's practices as your own. Ultimately, you are best equipped to implement how and why you run your business.