Links to Grow your business

BUSINESS CLASSES OFFERED. Check out the Small Business Development, Community Capital Development website for a wide array of classes. http://www.seattleccd.com/classes/Seattleclasses.htm, call: (206) 325-9458, extension 100, e-mail: classes.wbc@seattleccd.com . For information, contact: Carole Butkus, Director, Women's Business Center, (206) 325-9458, Ext. 102, caroleb@seattleccd.com.

THE PHENOMENON OF NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETING BY MICHAEL GERBER, best-selling author and Chairman of E-Myth Worldwide. Tom Feltenstein was Ray Kroc's marketing guy. Tom Feltenstein learned from Ray Kroc something that every business owner needs to know; it's called Neighborhood Marketing. Ray Kroc was the founding genius of McDonald's and the man who put it on the map. Read on, go to www.e-myth.com.

BIZ TIPS, NEW GRANT AND TAX DEADLINE ALERTS. Dear Business Owners Idea Cafe Regular, Busy with getting your taxes figured? Dealing with a mountain of paperwork or a backload of phone calls? Find ways to save some time (and money) with these handy biz services. Use the time you save to kick back and relax! This website is chock full of business ideas. http://www.businessownersideacafe.com.

BUSINESS TIPS FROM ABOUT.COM Visit Related About GuideSites: Business / Travel, http://businesstravel.about.com. Electronic Commerce, http://ecommerce.about.com. Entrepreneurs, http://entrepreneurs.about.com. Human Resources, http://humanresources.about.com. Management, http://management.about.com. Small Business, http://sbinformation.about.com. Small Business Canada, http://sbinfocanada.about.com. Telecommuting, http://telecommuting.about.com.

THE FUNDAMENTALS OF E-MYTH MARKETING FROM BEST-SELLING BUSINESS AUTHOR, MICHAEL GERBER, and his business development specialists at E-Myth Worldwide. Program will help you think about marketing from a new perspective and get you moving on the path to success! This affordable distance learning program teaches core Marketing concepts to help you discover: Who your best customers are; Why they buy from you; What distinguishes you from your competition; What components make up your marketing strategy and more! www.emythworldwide.com. Or, call 800-221-0266 (US Canada) or 707-569-5757

COMMUNITY BUILDING:
THE SMART MONEY IS ON SMART GROWTH Business and government leaders grow especially eager to restrain spending and stimulate growth in times of tight budgets and persistent economic uncertainty. In this paper, Mark Muro and Robert Puentes review the growing evidence that compact development patterns and reinvestment in established areas can save taxpayers money and improve regional economies. Overall, they conclude that managing growth with an eye to promoting urban vitality can at once reduce the cost of providing public infrastructure and services, and enhance regional economic performance. The report also contends that suburbs also benefit from policies that bolster the health of central cities. In sum, the best academic literature suggests that smart growth is especially smart in times of fiscal conservatism. Visit the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy website at: www.brookings.edu/urban. Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy, The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 797-6139. http://www.brookings.edu/urban.

EDITORS AT THE DOWNTOWN RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CENTER LAUNCH NEW E-NEWSLETTER. Twice each month, this free publication will provide: * Brief summaries of key articles from the current issues of the industry newsletters, "Downtown Idea Exchange" and "Downtown Promotion Reporter." * Survey results and analysis. "Downtown Digest" readers are invited to participate in monthly polls on key downtown revitalization issues such as business recruitment and retention, homelessness, business improvement district operations and more. New questions and the results of previous polls will be presented in alternate issues. To learn more about "Downtown Digest" and to sign up, go online to http://www.DowntownDevelopment.com/enewsletter.php. CONTACT: Adam Reis (212) 228-0246 x105, mailto:areis@downtowndevelopment.com

BRINGING THE SPIRIT OF INNOVATION TO YOUR BUSINESS. Gain clarity of vision for your business and your life. Discover how to turn your vision into business success. Eliminate the barriers standing between you and your customers. Don't miss out on a rare opportunity to experience, Michael Gerber, live! Attendees will receive a free copy of his best-selling book, The E-Myth Revisited! Join Michael Gerber, best-selling author of The E-Myth Revisited, voted the #1 business book by Inc. 500 CEOs and long term BusinessWeek best-seller. "Gerber's powerful insights have given thousands of entrepreneurs new control over their businesses" Success Magazine. Sign up for this Free 60-minute online seminar! Learn more about E-Myth. Call 800.221.0266 or 707.569.5757. Event Code: 030304ES.

HOW TO GENERATE BIG IDEAS. Flashback: Idea Summit | by Anna Muoio. Rolf Smith has spent a career thinking about how people think. Now, he is helping people at some of the world's most powerful organizations to generate big ideas -- and to rethink their whole approach to creativity. http://trax.fastcompany.com/k/w/mailman/fasttake/20031203/smith Copyright 2003 Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing. All rights reserved.

To establish systems to Turn-Key essential business operations visit E-myth by clicking below.

Marketing Resources

Market Research

http://www.mindbranch.com/
Market research at your service.
MindBranch provides a single objective source for market research across multiple industries and publishers. Use MindBranch.com to search and buy research publications.

http://www.census.gov/

http://www.centerformediaresearch.com.
Sample article. Newspaper and Broadcast Advertising Up, Magazines Down for the Count. A release from the Dow Jones Newswires by Brian Steinberg reports that U.S advertising in 2002 is expected to accelerate during the second half of the year, but will still fall short of the peak levels during the halcyon days of dot-com boom in 2000, according to a new study from Standard Poor's.

http://www.wa.gov/ofc
Office of the Forecast Council's web page features such reports as The September 2002 preliminary economic forecast.

Marketing Tips & Ideas

http://www.marketingprofs.com/
Excellent website with numerous tools, tips, articles on marketing subjects.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/

http://www.businessmarketing.com/
Has a great resource guide on its website.

http://whatUseek.com
Proactive marketing information. Sample article. Customer Complaints Can Make You Money. Those of us selling goods over the internet will know that some customers are more difficult than others. At some stage somebody is going to want a refund.

http://www.usps.com/
Order their guide, Simple Formulas

Idea Cafe news@ideacafe.com

http://www.fastcompany.com

http://list.infousa.com

Excellent books to read

Bibliography

The following resources are ones I’ve used throughout my life. I’ve often found it helpful to look at the bibliographies and indexes in the back of the books I read for more resources.

Toastmasters International, Inc.

PO Box 9052

Mission Veijo, CA 92690

(714) 858-8255

Fax: (714) 858-1207

Anderson, Greg. The Cancer Conqueror. MO: Universal Press Syndicate Company. 1990.

Baggett, Byrd. Satisfaction Guaranteed. TN: Rutledge Hill Press. 1994.

Beattie, Melody. The Lessons of Love. CA: HarperSan Francisco. 1994.

Benton, D.A. Lions Don’t Need to Roar. New York: Warner Books. 1992.

Brown, Rita Mae. Starting From Scratch. New York: Bantam. 1988.

Cameron, Julie with Mark Bryan. The Artist’s Way. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 1992. Excellent guided twelve week program for discovering or rediscovering your artist, your inner creativity.

Carlson, Richard and Benjamin Shield. Handbook for the Soul. New York: Little Brown & Company. 1995.

Chopra, Deepak M.D., Creating Affluence. CA: New World Library. 1993.

Clark, Major Arthur L. U.S.M.C.R. Warrior’s Wisdom. New York: Berkeley Publishing Group. 1997.

Cook, Marshall. Freeing Your Creativity. OH: F&W Publications. 1992.

Corcodilos, Nick A. Ask the Headhunter. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc. 1997.

Cousins, Norman. Anatomy of an Illness. W.W. Norton & Company. 1979.

Covey, Stephen. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1989.

Dawson, Roger. You Can Get Anything You Want But You Have to Do More Than Ask. New York: Simon Schuster. 1985.

de Saint-Exupery, Antoine. The Little Prince. Florida: Harcourt Brace & Company. 1943.

Dominguez, Joe and Vicki Robin. Your Money or Your Life. New York: Viking Penguin. 1992

Gawain, Shakti. Creative Visualization. CA: New World Library. 1995.

Gawain, Shakti. The Creative Visualization Workbook. CA: New World Library. 1995.

Gelb, Michael J., How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. New York: Delacorte Press. 1998.

Goodall, Jane. Reason for Hope. New York: Warner Books. 1999.

Harmon, Renee. How to Audition for Movies and TV. New York: Walker & Company. 1992.

Heckler, Richard Strozzi. In Search of the Warrior Spirit. CA: North Atlantic Books, 1990, 1992.

Hunt, Gordon. How to Audition. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. 1977. The quintessential advice on auditioning for TV, movies, commercials, plays, musicals from a renowned LA casting director.

Kao, John. Jamming. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. 1996.

Kawasaki, Guy. Selling the Dream. New York: HarperCollins. 1991.

LeShan, Lawrence. You Can Fight For Your Life. New York: M. Evans and Company. 1980.

Miller, James. B. The Corporate Coach. New York: HarperCollins. 1993.

Morris, Eric. Being & Doing. CA: Ermor Enterprises. 1981. Great book that discussed the body as an instrument, related to acting, but can be used in the business world as well.

Ogilvy, David. Ogilvy on Advertising. New York: Vintage Books. 1983

Persons, Hal, with Lianne Mercer. The How-to of Great Speaking. TX: Black & Taylor. 1992.

Popcorn, Faith. The Popcorn Report. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell. 1991.

Robbins, Anthony. Unlimited Power. New York: Fawcett Columbine. 1986.

Schultz, Howard. One Cup At a Time.

Schwartz, David J. Ph.D. The Magic of Thinking Big. New York: Prentice-Hall. 1965.

Sher, Barbara. Wishcraft. New York: The Viking Press. 1979.

Siegel, Bernie S. M.D. How to Live Between Office Visits. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. 1993. A great book about healing. Excellent for illustrating the power of your mind.

Siegel, Bernie S. M.D. Love, Medicine & Miracles. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. 1986. A great book about healing. Excellent for illustrating the power of your mind.

Siegel, Bernie S. M.D. Peace, Love, & Healing. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. 1989. A great book about healing. Excellent for illustrating the power of your mind.

Simmons, Sylvia. How to be the Life of the Podium. New York: AMACOM. 1991.

Slutsky, Jeff. How to Get Clients. New York: Warner Books. 1992.

Wunderman, Lester. Being Direct. New York: Random House. 1996.

More to come