The corporate world knows the value of taking time out for a step back, taking time to assess what is going right, what is going wrong and what just plain isn’t going anywhere. As a business owner (or as one who dreams of owning a business), it is critical to take time out to plan for the upcoming time period, be it a year, or even a long-term goal. Otherwise, how can you get where you want to be if you don’t know where that is?

It's that time again. You send out invoices and sit and wait, and wait, and wait for your clients to pay you. Sometimes it's a matter of cash flow on their end, sometimes they are just too busy and forget and other times it's something little that they are unsure of, but haven't found the time to contact you. What can you do to speed up cash flow?

Do you need to get more clients? Are you trying to get your first client? Is your marketing budget equivalent to the cost of a Happy Meal? The following tips and techniques are not by any means hidden secrets, but they are some of the most overlooked ways to market a small business today. Are you making these mistakes?

We all recognize the importance of having a business plan (even if we haven't yet done one), but do you recognize the value of a good marketing plan? While most marketing plans take up a few pages of the standard business plan, I highly recommend you take the time to create a dynamic marketing plan if you really want to kick your business into high gear. A good dynamic marketing plan is one that you review weekly, monthly and quarterly.

Now that you've got a list of your goals for the upcoming year, take a good look at them. You are most likely feeling a combination of exhilaration and trepidation with a little overwhelming sensation mixed in for good measure.

It's okay, you're not the first or only one to experience this. The next step is to break down each goal into manageable objectives. It's as simple as the answer to the riddle "How do you eat an elephant?"

You're finally ready! To recap Parts I and II of "How to Create a Dynamic Marketing Plan," you've written your goals, broken them down into manageable pieces, and set your objectives, it's now time to take action!

Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of the day, knowing you worked your butt off and yet wondering what the heck you actually accomplished or, worse yet, wondering why nothing has been crossed off your "to do" list? It’s more than a little frustrating to say the least.

Here are seven strategies guaranteed to increase your productivity…and I don’t use the word "guaranteed" lightly!

One of the worst moments in a business owner's life is that silent moment between when you quote your rate to a potential client and his response. True, that hardly a second goes by, but it can feel like an eternity.

You're doing it. For years you've wanted to work from home and you are finally doing it. You are no longer an employee who has a "J O B"; you are now a business owner, self-employed, ruler of your own destiny AND you have inherited all the responsibilities that come with owning a business:

* You are the manager

* You are the marketer

* You are the service provider/widget maker

* You are the bookkeeper

And the list goes on. We often get so busy running our businesses that we forget why we started them in the first place.

Traditional "business building rules" tell us that we need to network. Attending a charity breakfast where you give a 2-minute spiel on your business, community luncheon where you eat rubber chicken and another cocktail hour where you feel like you’re on a speed date going from business owner to business owner with barely enough time to remember their names, much less make a great impression.

It doesn't have to be that way!