Q: You will want to reach out to potential customers in ways that make them want to use your business. This is especially important when you are first starting before you have an established, regular customer base.  Advertise in a way that catches customers attention at a minimum and hopefully goes beyond to capture their imagination. Be creative and appeal to the right aspects of the customers you want to use your business. Offer free samples of what you do to the right people, in order to get people saying good things about what you have to offer. Word of mouth (i.e. good PR) is the best way to attract new customers. If you get bad reviews or negative feedback, respond positively and fix the problem. People will be much less judgmental about mistakes if you're willing to fix them. Go to conferences, charity galas, meetings with complementary businesses and anywhere where your customers are likely to be highly concentrated. In other words: get out in public and interact with people. Use your friend's connections to meet people who may be able to help you. This kind of interaction is very important for starting a business. You can't exist in a vacuum after all. Be good at interacting with people. Practice reading between the lines of what people say. Learn how to meet needs they didn't know they had. Figure out how to make people happy. Be charming. Most importantly, be humble. The customer may not always be right but you need to be able to let them think they are. The world has moved online. Any business that wants to survive the next ten years is going to have a website. People will use it to contact you, find your location, learn your operating hours, ask you questions, make suggestions, and maybe even buy your products or services. In having a website and services which are available over the internet, you will be able to expand your service area out across your region or even the world.
A: Make use of marketing and PR. Use a little old fashioned networking. Have great customer service skills. Have a website.

Q: Start doing this immediately after the call. Ask your note-taker for a copy of the minutes. Make sure you include a list of everyone's responsibilities. The minutes will document the conversation in writing in case there are any discrepancies later. Ask a colleague to proofread the recap before you send it out. A second pair of eyes can catch mistakes you might have overlooked, no matter how many times you've proofread the material. Do this as soon as you've made any edits your proofreader has recommended. Invite all recipients to make comments or ask questions that might have slipped their minds during the call. If you promised to send out a scheduling survey for a follow-up call, include that link with the recap. Take action as discussed during the call. If you promised to answer any questions at a later date, follow up within no more than a week. Meet any deadlines you set. Make sure any promised work is delivered to the proper recipients within a reasonable amount of time.
A: Create a recap. Send the recap to all attendees. Follow through on promises and deadlines.

Q: After you’ve mastered the alphabet and words, you should write a monologue and practice it. Start by using words that you’re most comfortable with. However, make sure to incorporate some words that you think are challenging.  Consider giving a speech with your mouth closed. For example, work on Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” While practicing by yourself is certainly helpful, you should try talking to your friends with your mouth closed. This way, you can not only entertain them but be challenged by unscripted conversations you’re likely to have with them.   Try to hold a normal conversation with your friends. Talk about various subjects and let them ask you questions. Invite friends and family to watch you talk with your mouth closed. Get a ventriloquist dummy or puppet and hone the art of ventriloquism. One of the best ways to improve your ability to talk with your mouth closed is to record yourself. By recording yourself, you’ll be able to hear exactly how you pronounce certain words. Then, you can practice problematic words until you say them better. Use your cellphone or a tape recorder to record yourself.
A: Write a monologue and practice it. Talk to your friends. Record yourself.

Q: If you are in a rut, chances are you've been doing things the same way for quite a while. Trying to change every aspect of your life overnight is just unrealistic, not to mention incredibly daunting. You'll find that success comes much more easily if you set an achievable goal to begin with.  If you have decided to make huge changes in your life, break them up into a series of goals. You are much more likely to succeed if you manage your expectations. For instance, if you want to go back to college, make it your first goal to research schools that offer the program you want to do. This is an easily accomplished, yet vital step in your journey! Making small changes, such as taking a new route to work or working out in the morning instead of the afternoon, can help introduce new stimuli and change your perspective. Start by making small changes with how you do things and you may notice a big difference. There are a number of ways you can do this, especially if you have a smartphone. Take a few minutes to download a helpful app, or stop by the office supply store for a calendar and some sparkly star stickers.  Looking back at your progress can really give you a boost!  It sounds counter-intuitive, but try not to brag about your big plans before you have actually achieved anything. According to research, talking about your intention to do something makes you less likely to really do it.  With that in mind, don't forget to congratulate yourself when you reach a milestone. If your main goal is to lose fifteen pounds, pat yourself on the back when you've lost five. Whether you are trying to make huge changes or just need a little pick-me-up, somebody somewhere has probably been through it too. Learning about the experiences of others can really give you some perspective and motivation. Depending on your situation, it might be helpful to join some type of community with other people who are in the same boat as you. This could be a traditional "support group," a group you set up with your family and friends, or even an online forum. Having a strong support system can be crucial to avoiding stress. Changing your routine, especially if you've been doing it for a while, is hard. Give yourself credit for trying in the first place. Remind yourself how far you've come, and don't let one little setback stop you.
A:
Start small. Keep track of your progress. Read articles or books about others who have done what you are trying to do. Don't give up.