Most small business ideas are born out of inspiration, frustration, circumstances or almost any reason other than well thought-out logic and plenty of pre-planning. How about your small home based business idea?As a result, the ever cycling phases of plan, finance, start, run, grow, sell are random and chaotic. Each phase is dealt with, if at all, in a reactive mode rather than a responsive mode. This pattern seems to work as long as you see your small home based business as a source of wages versus a business entity responsible for making a profit with your “wages” being paid as part of the business’s employee overheadA few small business owners eventually break out of this mode and into a true business ownership role where they begin to, as Michael Geber described in his classic book “The E-Myth”, work on their business rather than in their business. This transition can be difficult for many because it requires some forward thinking and functional discipline. In other words, you’ve got to think about the future not just react to it. You need to focus on the basic business functions and how to apply them to your business at every phase of the business cycle.A simple way to begin your move into the role of true small business owner is to become familiar with six phases of the small business cycle and the eight business basics you’ll need to apply in different ways at each of the six phases.Small Business PhasesThe six business phases are plan, finance, start, run, grow and sell. Typically, small home based business owners attack the phases of business development in order of their own strengthens or the greatest source of pressure. It takes a strong sense of discipline to move through each phase in logical order. It’s not a matter of slowing your small business down, but, rather, accelerating its success and profitability by not skipping a step and moving from one to the next.Small Business BasicsIn different ways in each of the phases you always be dealing with each of the eight business basics of objectives, management, finance, personnel, marketing, operations, production and resources. Each small business basic is a point of education and implementation for new small home based business owners. Think of each basic as a function to learn about and a section in your business plan. Learn about each basic and then take your own current or projected data and move it into your small business plan.It takes time and discipline to cycle through each of the business phases and master all of the business basics but the rewards for most small business owners are success and profitability. Your small business idea is too important to penalize yourself by not earning those rewards. Start right now by assessing what phase your small home based business is in and what basic needs your immediate attention.

Each and every marketplace and industry is getting more and more competitive by the day. Before we even consider the changes from the consumer behavior side of this formula, you NEED TO UNDERSTAND how to adapt and maximize the free tools available to expose and capture the free and targeted traffic that your Google Local Business Maps listing can provide to you.Were you aware that 46% OF BUSINESSES are still without a website – amazing isn’t it? Now you may be thinking this statistic was from January of 2000, but I nearly fell out of my chair when doing market research in January, 2011.Also, according to an independent internet research company (The Kelsey Group), 31% of households PREFER USING THE INTERNET FIRST when gathering information about a product or service – and many of those searches are local, via Google Local Business Maps Listings, Yahoo and Bing Pages.You may also be shocked to find out that 86% of searches that reach a website locally follow their search up with a phone call. For the proactive searchers that live within a 6 mile radius from that business, they’re 90% ready-to-buy and want to do so once contacting a local business, so get your cash registers ready.Below are 3 Tips To Maximize Your Google Local Business Maps Listing:1. Fill Out All Of The Fields Google Asks You To- Because Google is what’s called a relevant based search engine, those business owners that obey their rules will be most rewarded. Typically, search engines don’t care about what your personal preferences are… so just follow their lead to get handsomely rewarded with free traffic, leads and then convert in the house.2. A Good Picture Is Worth Thousands Of Dollars – Instead of putting in space-holder pictures in your 5 allotted Goggle Maps/Google Places page, use this “prime real estate” to drive sales and willing-to-buy prospects to your company website. This prime real estate can also be a significant boost at getting your website to the top of Google.I’d strongly recommend finding a graphics person who’s handy in Photoshop or Illustrator (both Adobe programs) to create high-end coupons that will prompt prospects to call and visit your business.3. The Power Of Persuasive Videos Is Prominent These Days – It has been proven by the numbers that video marketing is starting to dominate. Think about human nature for a minute, do more people watch TV or read books? So why is your website and Google Maps/Google Places page only text and images? Don’t you want to give people what they are looking for?The 4 major search engines have seen significant growth in the local landscape. This area of business online has fast become the largest growing sector on the entire internet… but regardless of what you think or feel, just listen to the people that knows more about this stuff than you.I fought it for years – and lost every time! So if you want to maximize your Google Local Business Maps listing then do what the experts are telling you, we did and our business is positioned and prime to thrive for a long time because of it!