This year I don’t have a super amount of goals, but the ones I do have are important. Have you made your list yet?

Here is the list in no particular order:

• Organize my Internet business life a little better.
• Spend more time with family.
• Stay fit (the hardest part of being fit)
• Add more passive income to my portfolio
• Make a portfolio!
• Add 4 more stocks to my portfolio
• Take life a little less serious!

There it is, shouldn’t be too hard I guess. Does anyone want to share a few of their goals?

Day 8 – How to choose a name for your business.

Your company’s name is a very important part of your business. It is how customers will remember who you are and what you do. When choosing a name for your business there are a few important factors that you will want to consider. I have listed a few of these things below for you to check out.

Things to consider when choosing a name:

• Purpose- Make sure the name communicates your business’s purpose. For example, “Glens Guns” for a gun shop.
• Memory- Make sure the name is easy to remember. Consider using a catchy phrase or word that folks will not likely forget. For websites, the shorter the better so it is really easy to remember and type.
• Professional- Keep it professional. Don’t use slangy terms or sayings unless that is the image you want for your customers.
• Creative and distinctive- Use something that no others are using to really catch attention and buzz.

So now that you know the basic rules for choosing a business name, here are a few ways to choose the perfect one.

• Brainstorm- The more people involved the better, but this can also be done alone. Get out a sheet of paper and start writing the first things that come to mind when thinking about your business. When you are finished, narrow your choices down to the perfect one.
• Substitute- Sometimes after you have found the name you want, you will find that it has already been taken. Get out a thesaurus and start finding similar terms to pick from. Sometimes you  will find a better name than you had originally chosen for your new company.

Once you have chosen your name, remember to get it registered as a fictitious name in your state or county right away before someone else scoops it up. This can typically cost from 50 dollars a year to several hundred depending on the state.

Same goes for an Internet business, once you have your domain name chosen, register it straight away with a domain name registrar for a lock on it. Online registration fees range from $3.99 to $35 a year depending on the registrar.

Picking the perfect business name may take time, but it is time well spent. Don’t rush the process, and don’t settle on a second rate name just to get it done. Take the time and do it right, you won’t regret it.

Day 7 – How to negotiate a business deal.

There is a great probability that sometime either during start up, or once your business is established that you will need to negotiate with someone. In this post I will give you some personal tips as well as some great advice I found elsewhere during research.

The art of negotiating is a learned and practiced craft meaning the more you perform it the better you get at it. Knowing when to take a hard stand, when to back down, and when to walk away is crucial.

Here are some tips to get you started:

• Be creative- Both side using creativity will make negotiations easier by way of more options.
• Be open to offers- Don’t automatically turn down offers making statements like “my way or the highway.” Consider all offers carefully.
• Listen carefully- Being able to listen carefully is important. If you are day dreaming during negotiations you might just miss some important piece of information you could use to your advantage.
• Don’t lose focus- Don’t lose sight of what you are there for in negotiations. You are there to cut a deal, not annihilate your opposing negotiator. Cut throat negotiations is rarely tolerated.

Also, if the negotiation looks as if it will take a great amount of time to complete, then you may want to conduct most of it through email, phone, or fax to get the preliminaries out of the way. You might also learn some extra details about the other party while your at it.

Remember the most important tactics which are, be open minded, listen carefully, and most importantly that under no means should you just settle on an offer just to settle. You always have the ultimate option to just walk away and leave it for another day.

Day 6 – Sources of start up income.

You have this great idea for a new business but you have hit this one little snag, no money! Well join millions of other people who also cannot find the start up capital they need. Well below I will list just a few ideas to get the dough you need. They are in no particular order.

The ideas:

• Sell a car- This will work especially good if you are planning to work from home. Do you have an extra car sitting around that you don’t need? Consider selling it and using the money for your business.
• Family- Many entrepreneurs like to borrow money from family and friends to get the funds they need. Just remember to pay them back after you start rolling in the dough.
• Bank loan- Whip up that business plan and head to your local bailed out bank for a quick loan. Good luck!
• Sell unused household items- Are you a pack rat? Have things lying around from 1927? Consider selling your wares on Ebay and the like to gain some extra smackeroos.
• Venture capital- Find private and business investors that are willing to invest in your company. Again you will need the business plan.
• Find a partner- Sometimes you can find a willing partner that will front the dough, and you could take less of a cut for a while. Remember to get everything in writing in front of a lawyer.
• Rob a bank- Only joking, do not do this unless you love jail food! Seriously, there are many ways to fund a business, but this is not one of them.

Does anyone have any more ideas on where to get the start up money? Let’s here your ideas.

Hope it is snowing for you if that is what you like. I myself am enjoying the Florida sunshine, yeah right burrr! Well at least it is not too freezing here. Anyway, just want to say thank you to all my readers and remember that if you want to give Today’s Goal a holiday gift, then just spread the word about the blog to all your friends. That would be the best gift ever! Thanks everyone.