As Mother’s Day approaches, it’s time to reflect on the lessons our Moms taught us. Here are some business lessons from Mom that also apply to business people, whether you are starting a business or already running one.

1. Clean up. Mom taught you to always wash your face, comb your hair and look presentable. It’s equally important for your business image to shine. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so whether it’s your storefront, your office lobby or your website’s home page, make sure your business looks inviting, up-to-date and appealing.
2. Be friendly. Mom told you to smile, look people in the eye and be polite. The same rules apply in business. People want to do business with business people they like, so being considerate, polite and friendly matter, whether it’s you or your employees.
3. Share. You didn’t always want to, but Mom made you share the last cookie with your sister and your toys with your friends. Whether you’re interacting offline or on social media world, an attitude of sharing—towards other business people, customers and prospects—will get you far, whether you are starting a business or already successful. Make it a point to be generous, and you’ll get back more than you give.
4. Tell the truth. Whether you hit a baseball through the neighbor’s window or flunked a spelling test, honesty is the best policy (because Mom always finds out anyway). In business, too,  customers value honesty more than ever—and they’ll spread the word about your honest approach to their friends and other business people.
5. Always do your best. Mom didn’t care if you were the best—she only cared if you tried your hardest. Customers, too, can tell when you’re not putting forth your best effort but only going through the motions. If they don’t get your full efforts, they won’t stick around.
6. Appreciate your unique gifts. Maybe you weren’t the team captain or the head cheerleader, but Mom showed you how to appreciate what was special about you. Whether you’re starting a business or already in business, don’t make your company a copycat of your competitors—focus on what makes your business different and better.

What lessons did you learn from Mom that apply to your business?

Follow @Rieva
Follow @SmBizDaily

So you’re considering starting your own business, but you’re worried because you’re over 50?  Yes, launching a business when you’re old enough to get the senior discount at Kohl’s can be scary. But I’m here to tell you it can also be the smartest thing you ever do.

I was over 50 when I started my company, GrowBiz Media, a few years ago. After writing and speaking about entrepreneurship for many years, I was excited about “walking the walk” and striking out on my own. The fact that the economy crashed just months after my business launched didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. I’ve never regretted becoming my own boss. To ensure you don’t, either, here are three things to consider before you quit your day job.

1. Are you comfortable with risk? Entrepreneurship inherently involves risk, and if worry is going to keep you up at night, running your own business may not be for you. But these days, employment can be just as risky. With the economic recovery still in its infancy, we’re not out of the woods yet when it comes to layoffs—and as many over-50s learned the hard way, Baby Boomers, with their high salaries and generous benefits, are often the first casualties when a corporation decides to slash the ranks. For many people past 50, the risks involved in piloting your own destiny pale in comparison to the worries of the work force.

2. Could you start part-time? If you’re leery to let go of steady employment, consider starting a part-time business on the side. It could be a passion you’ve always wanted to indulge (bottling and selling a family recipe, crafting artisanal pottery) or it could be related to your current career. If the latter, take care that you aren’t stepping on any toes or violating any noncompete contracts with your employer. Don’t use company time, equipment or office space to run your business, and don’t take on current, former or prospective clients of your employer as your own. Review your employment agreements carefully and consult an attorney if you have any doubts.

3. What are your financial goals? Starting a business after 50 is a double-edged sword. You have probably grown accustomed to a certain standard of living; you may be responsible for a mortgage, college tuition or alimony. You’re not the lean and hungry twentysomething who can crash on a buddy’s futon, subsist on a diet of Top Ramen and pour every cent back into the business. So you’ll need to be honest about what you need to make from the business–and realistic about what salary you can expect to draw in the early years. On the plus side, now that you’re older you have more sources of financing to tap into, whether that’s your 401(k) or friends and colleagues with the money and inclination to invest.

Starting a business after 50 isn’t a decision to make lightly, but it can be the best decision you ever make.

Follow @Rieva

Follow @SmBizDaily

Have you missed any of my blogs this week? Read on for the quick recap.

Could Facebook and Twitter actually hurt your business and keep customers from buying from you? Get the truth in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Does encouraging your employees to become entrepreneurs sound crazy? Crazy like a fox, maybe. Find out how entrepreneurial employees can boost your business in my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

One thing employees don’t want to be: corporate. Find out how to turn this to your advantage in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

In your efforts to make more sales, are you turning your best customers off? Discover the big mistake you might be making in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Then, find out how to increase customer loyalty with one simple step in my post on American Express OPEN Forum.

If your business sells upscale products, you’ll want to know the surprising results of a survey on what demographic buys the most luxury goods. Check out my post on AT&T’s SmallBusinessInSite for the scoop.

Speaking of target markets, the Hispanic customer is one of the biggest markets out there–and growing by leaps and bounds. Learn how to market to Hispanic consumers in my Q&A on the LA-SBDC Network website.

Getting ready to start your dream business? Be sure to read my post on SCORE’s Success Blog for the most important startup step of all.

Before you launch, you’ll also want to check out my post on SmallBusinessLoans.com for tips on building your personal credit so you can get the financing you need.

Follow @Rieva
Follow @SmBizDaily

So you’ve got a great new business idea—one you’re sure will make money right from the day you launch. Your company will be as innovative as Facebook. Your product will be in bigger demand than the iPad 3. You can already see yourself on the cover of Inc. magazine and picking out a new Mercedes at the dealership.

Slow down, not so fast. Before you dive headlong into this great new venture, here’s what you need to do to determine if your dream business can really fly–or if you just have your head in the clouds.

Figure out what you’re doing. What exactly will your business do, make and sell? Think through all the steps involved. How will you get your product or service to the end-user? Will it be sold in retail stores, sold online, provided personally by you in one-on-one relationships with customers or wholesaled to huge global chains?

Figure out who your competition is. Even if you think your idea is groundbreaking, you have some type of competition. The inventor of the printing press was “competing” with people who told stories and passed down knowledge orally. The inventor of the fax was competing with the Postal Service. You get the idea. Who’s your competitor? What do they offer? How much do they charge? What can you do differently (and better)?

Figure out the overhead. Will you need employees? An office? A store? How about pizza ovens, delivery trucks or computers? How much rent can you expect to pay? Will you need employees? Add up your overhead—the day-to-day costs of things like rent, electricity and insurance. How can you keep it down?

Figure out how much money you can make. How much can you sell your product or service for? How much does it cost to make, buy, store or ship? What’s left over and how much of that goes to overhead? What’s your profit?

Figure out your profits. If you’re lucky your business has low startup costs and high profit potential. If you’re unlucky, it’s got high startup costs and low profit potential. That’s when you need to start over. How can you lower your startup costs? How can you increase your profit potential? Ideally, how can you do both?

Figure out how to pay for it. Once you’ve got your business idea where you want it, you need to know where the startup money’s coming from. If you can’t finance your startup on your own, maybe friends or family can help. If you need to look beyond that circle, banks, credit unions or private angel investors could all be options. Think creatively and consider partnering with companies that have what you lack or bartering your products or services for what you need.

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. There are plenty of places to get help. Your local SBDC can provide free advice and guidance. The SCORE website has tons of tools and templates you can use to figure out the answers to your questions, plus free counseling to guide you. Run the numbers…and figure out if your dream is in reach. Good luck!

Have you missed any of my blog posts from around the Net this week? Here’s what I’m talking about.

I’m excited to announce my new ebook, 23 Hot Businesses to Start Right Now!, is just out from StartupNation. Whether you are dreaming of starting a business, or already have a business you want to expand, this book will tell you how to take advantage of the latest hot trends–and profit from them. Visit StartupNation to find out more and buy the book for just $27.

Are you itching for a new iPad? So are millions of Americans. Get the scoop on the surge in tablets–and what it means to your business–in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Are you designing (or redesigning) your business website? Head over to Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog to discover the most important website features that bring in traffic.

Worried that your tweets are getting lost in the crowd? Learn how to make them stand out in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Do you market with emails? Learn how to make sure your emails get the best results from my post over at AT&T‘s SmallBusinessInSite.

What do employees really want–and how can you give it to them? Find out how to keep them happy and productive over on American Express OPEN Forum.

Spring is in the air–is your business ready? Get my suggestions for refreshing your business on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

Maybe you need a pick-me-up to revive your business enthusiasm. Check out my post on SCORE‘s Success Blog to get excited about your business again.

Or maybe you’re already excited–about March Madness. Find out how to put the NCAA tourney to work for you–not against you–in my post on Small Business Loans.com.

After March comes April, and tax time is nearly upon us. If you’re still scrambling to get your documents together, get a grip by checking out my article for the SBDC-LA, “Understanding Your Tax Exposure.”

Follow @Rieva
Follow @SmBizDaily

Launching a brand new website is an exciting, but stressful experience. Is the website good enough? Is everything working properly? Did I forget something?

Here are 3 questions you need to ask before spending a dime on promoting your website.

1. How Does My Website Fit Into My Business Objectives? This is an amazingly simple question that a lot of small business owners can’t answer. Websites should be built to serve a certain purpose. What is the purpose of your website?

To help you increase the number of sales leads, while reducing marketing costs? To help raise brand awareness? To serve as a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool?

Once you figure out the role your website is going to take in your business operations, it’s time to translate that role into goals for your website – specific, attainable and trackable goals.

2. Am I Tracking Everything That Is Important? Once your website has a specific business purpose, it is time to track everything that makes a difference – what’s not tracked, cannot be improved. There are a number of free web analytics solutions that you can use.

Many experts usually recommend Google Analytics as it is free, powerful and simple to use. After you do this, consider setting up Google and Bing Webmaster Tool accounts to help you diagnose any issues your new website might have with search engines.

3. Do I Have A Launch Plan? It is very easy to get lost in the initial website promotion if you don’t have a plan. A launch plan that actually works can be as simple as a list made of websites that will help you promote your new site (websites that will give you links and share the news about your business).

Here are a few tips that will help you create your website launch plan:

• Create a list of your friends on social media sites and ask them to share the news of your new website.
• Make a long list of bloggers, webmasters and journalists that might be interested in writing about you.
• Identify communities crazy about what you do and introduce yourself.
• Ask industry websites to cover your website launch etc.

If you concentrate on answering these simple, yet very important questions, you will save yourself a lot of stress and headaches. Instead, you will have a foolproof way of launching a new website you can use in the future.

Vedran Tomic is the co-founder and CEO of Tomic Internet Marketing, a boutique Internet marketing agency headquartered in Connecticut. Vedran spends his time creating strategies that deliver high ROI for small and medium sized businesses.

Have you missed any of my posts around the Internet this week? Keep reading to see what’s on my mind.

You may hear about “content marketing” a lot these days, but do you know how to use content marketing to attract BtoB customers? Get the skinny in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Innovation’s a big business buzzword, but what does it really mean to innovate in today’s economy? Find out in my article on MSN’s Business on Main.

Speaking of buzz, Pinterest, a new social sharing site, is getting lots of it. Learn whether Pinterest can work for your business in my post on AT&T’s SmallBusinessInSite.

Worried that customers are going to post horrible things about your company on social media? Well, don’t be. Check out my post on Huffington Post Small Business to find out what consumers really say about businesses online.

Have you used Google+ yet? Get the basics on this social media network in my article for the L.A. SBDC Network.

More info is coming out all the time about how consumers use mobile phones to shop. Learn the latest in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Love the reality show “Shark Tank“? (Or hate it?) Either way, you’ll want to read my post on American Express OPEN Forum and learn why some women entrepreneurs are just saying no to sharks.

What’s itsy-bitsy and teeny-weeny? Maybe your marketing budget–but that doesn’t necessarily matter. Read my post on the Huffington Post Small Business to learn why.

You might be thinking about hiring employees. To avoid one big hiring mistake entrepreneurs often make, read my post on the SCORE Success blog.

Get smart tips to save you money, keep your employees healthy and more in my Small Business Insider tips on SmallBusinessLoans.com.

Lots of young people today want to start businesses–but are their expectations realistic or not? Find out what I think on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

Follow @Rieva
Follow @SmBizDaily

Is your business doing everything you want it to? I’m not just talking about making sales, bringing in a paycheck for you or chugging along. I’m talking about whether your business is working for you–or you’re just working for your business.

Maybe you started a business because you wanted more flexibility to work the hours you want, work from home or pick up your kids after school. But suddenly, you take on a couple big clients who want you on call 24/7, and while your bank account may be thriving, your spirit isn’t, because you’re run even more ragged than you were in the corporate world.

Or maybe you began planning your company with one goal in mind—say, to open an organic bakery–but after listening to other people’s advice on how to get there, you’re pulled in so many directions that you’re not sure what your business model is anymore (catering? Wholesaling? Retailing?).

Here are some questions to ask yourself, both during the startup stage and regularly thereafter, to make sure your business is working for you:

1. What do I want from my business financially? It’s a business, after all. Set monetary goals and know that if you want a multimillion-dollar company, your day-to-day is going to look a lot different than if you simply want to replace your income from a job. If your business isn’t reaching the goals, how can you get there?
2. What do I want my business to be known for? Do you want to create a company that makes a difference in the community, is a great place to work, is honored for innovation, is high-tech or handmade and crafty? Choose a few goals that matter to you and stick to them.
3. What do I want to do day-to-day in my business? A certain amount of grunt work is inevitable, especially in the startup phase, but too many entrepreneurs, in an effort to grow their companies, find themselves doing work they have no taste or talent for. How can you arrange things so you’re doing what you love most of the time?
4. What does success look like in my life? Does success mean you’re jet-setting around the country living a fast-paced, 24/7 lifestyle? Are you in demand as a conference speaker and featured on the cover of Inc. Magazine? Are you working four hours a day in your pajamas? All these visions of success are equally valid; the key is to find one that resonates with you.

Once you’ve figured out what you really want to get out of your business, don’t lose sight of it. Check in with yourself regularly to make sure you’re on the right track. When you find yourself losing focus, correct your course. Then, and only then, will you create a business that gives you what you want.

Follow @Rieva
Follow @SmBizDaily

Have you missed any of my posts from around the Web this week? Keep reading for a quick roundup.

I’ve got a new gig blogging over at Small Business Loans.com. Check out my first post to learn how to minimize the financial risks of starting a business–and keep reading to get lots of useful advice on all aspects of business financing.

There’s lots of positive news about the economy, including a new report that affluent Americans are feeling highly optimistic. Get the details in my post on Network Solutions’ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Businesses are slowly starting to spend, too. If you market business-to-business, you’ll want to read this article, where SBDC Business Advisors Monica Rayes and Trevor Shickman share expert advice on winning B-to-B business.

If you’re considering hiring, don’t limit yourself to your own backyard. New research shows employees are more willing than ever to move for work. Learn more on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Or consider hiring a teen. Learn how hiring a teen helps more than just your business in my post on American Express OPEN Forum.

What do your women workers want? The answers might surprise you. Check out my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends to find out.

Speaking of women, conventional wisdom used to be that Mom makes most of the family purchasing decisions. That’s changing. Find out who’s in the driver’s seat by reading my post on AT&T‘s SmallBusinessInSite.

Are you worried customers of your retail store are using smartphones to find better deals–and walk out on you? Then you need to read my post on the Huffington Post Small Business.

Many studies show that teleworking improves employee satisfaction–but there’s one situation where it might do the opposite. Learn what teleworking arrangement you should avoid in my post on the Huffington Post Small Business.

Is there something you stink at? ‘Fess up–and read my post on SCORE‘s Success Blog to learn how to get better.

Follow @Rieva
Follow @SmBizDaily

Did you miss any of my blog posts from around the Net this week? No worries, just read on below.

Do you really know how your employees feel about working for you? If you want to keep them, you’d better. Get the scoop in my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

We all know consumers are going mobile–when shopping, that is. But what are they buying and on what devices? Find out in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Do you use content marketing to attract customers? (Or are you not even sure what “content marketing” is?) Learn how well different types of content work in my post on AT&T‘s SmallBusiness InSite.

Maybe you use Facebook ads. How well do they work for you? Find out what other business owners think in this Huffington Post Small Business post.

What’s up with Generation Y entrepreneurs (and intrapreneurs)? Get the scoop in my post on American Express OPEN Forum.

And, in the words of Nike ads, if you’re thinking about starting a business, stop thinking and “just do it.” Read my post at SCORE‘s Success Blog for inspiration.

Follow @Rieva
Follow @SmBizDaily