These days, it’s all too easy to get distracted when it comes to running a business. Turn on your computer, spend 5 minutes checking your email or your social networks – and that could easily turn into a half an hour or longer if you’re not careful!

Maybe you have the habit of starting one project before finishing the last – and what results is a cluttered mess and not being able to tell where one thing ends and where the next begins.

If you want your business to be successful – (read:  if you want to make money) – you have to get your business ADHD under control – and fast. Thankfully, it’s not nearly as hard as you think it might be, even for the most unorganized and hopeless of cases.

If your business is suffering from ADHD, hopefully some of these tips below will help you – and you won’t even need a prescription for Ritalin.

#1. Create a Routine: Routine and structure is boring, mundane, etc. etc. – but there’s a reason why most companies have set business hours and set schedules. When you have a routine, you can prepare for what happens next and easily transition from one thing to the next. Try to do the same thing, the same time, each and every day when it comes to your business. Just make sure you schedule yourself some time off!

#2. Set a Time Limit: Do you have an egg timer? It’s amazing what a time limit can do for your productivity! Let’s say you want to check your email for 15 minutes at the beginning of each day. Set the buzzer, and when the buzzer goes off – close your email. You’ll soon learn how to quickly prioritize which emails get your attention! This works for all types of things – how long you shop for supplies, how long you manage your books, how long you design scrapbook pages, how long you write blog posts, how long you market your business, etc. etc.

#3. Create Reminders: It’s okay to have signs all over your house if they help you remember things. I use a handy firefox plugin called Reminder Fox that always reminds me of important tasks I need to take care of. You may want to have a huge central calendar or perhaps set alarms on your phone. With so many distractions out there, it’s easy to forget things – so set up reminders for the things that are very important.

#4. Get Organized: Everyone knows they need to be and wants to be more organized, but it’s the actual doing it where most of us get stuck. Add in digital organization to the clutter and it gets even more fun! (I spend about 2 hours each month organizing/backing up all of my computer files!) You don’t have to start big – sometimes little changes can make all the difference. For example, I organized all of my email so when I check it in the morning I don’t see any distracting things like newsletters or social network notifications, only what is truly important.

#5. Eat a Natural, Healthy Diet & Get Enough Sleep: If you find yourself going from an extreme of lots of energy and ideas into a slump of  no energy or creativity, diet and lifestyle most likely play a role in this. Try to eat all natural, whole foods (limit processed items) and reduce your sugar and caffeine intake. Add in a good night’s rest, and chances are you’ll feel a thousand times better and see your business prosper as well. It does no one any good to stay up all night trying to meet a deadline only to fall asleep mid sentence during a phone call the next day!

#6: Use Positive Reinforcement: Focus on your strengths and what you have achieved instead of looking at where you’ve failed. Celebrating your successes, no matter how small or insignificant, will help you build momentum in finding more.

If you are finding yourself distracted and unfocused, these tips will help you in getting your business ADHD cured in no time. The more you can concentrate and be productive – the more time you have for the fun things in life

Is your business suffering from ADHD? What have you done that helps you get motivated and back on track?

Most websites now can be set up with little experience or knowledge and for less than $100 – and you can have your very own website up and running in about an hour. So, if you do not have a website yet for your business, this post is going to explain exactly how to do everything in just 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Choose Your Webhost

In order to set up a website, you first need webhosting. Choosing the right webhost is important, because the wrong one is going to cause hours of tears and frustration. I’ve done a LOT of research, and these are three companies I can confidently recommend to someone just getting started:

FatCow: FatCow is not the best in terms of speed or customer service, but they are the cheapest and easiest to use for a complete beginner. They are also 100% eco-friendly. What’s not to like about that? You can sign up for just $4.67/month (regularly $8.25/month) if you follow my referral link.

BlueHost: BlueHost is another popular option that is good for beginners and works perfectly with WordPress (which I’ll explain in the next step!). They are only $6.95/month.

HostGator: HostGator is another popular option that works well and offers 1 button install for setting up your website. If you only need 1 domain, you can get started for less than $4 a month, though multiple domains will need the $7/month plan.

Okay, so choose one of those three (they are really all pretty much the same, so just go with the site that seems the easiest for you to navigate) – and then sign up for your package and choose your domain name.

(Note: I am compensated for recommending these websites, but my opinion of all three is not based on that – these are the three I personally use for a number of my own websites, including this one!)

Step 2: Install WordPress

We are going to be using WordPress blogging software, because it is free, well documented, and lets you update and add new content to your site effortlessly. You can also do neat things like have photo galleries, forums, etc. etc. – the options really are endless! And, you can install it with just one click of a button!

If you followed my recommendations above and signed up for any of those webhosts, just google “how to install wordpress on fatcow” or “how to install wordpress on bluehost” or “how to install wordpress on hostgator” – you’ll get hundreds of free step by step instructions, videos, etc. etc. It’s really just a matter of finding the one click install button in your webhost control panel.

Step 3: Choose a WordPress Theme

A theme is basically just a template that controls the design of your site. There are thousands of free themes available out there, but be warned: free themes are often outdated, may contain spam/viruses/malware, and generally require php and html knowledge to make any customizations. So, I highly recommend an easy to customize paid theme that comes with lifetime updates and support.

Here are the places I trust (and personally use) for getting WordPress themes:

Elegant Themes: You get unlimited access to every template they have for $39.95 – that is a really good price just for one, but you get them all! You’ll be able to easily change colors & upload your own logo without knowing html using them, and they also have great support as well.

Theme Forest: There is an endless abundance of themes here, and this is where I found the theme for ScrapVenture. I could spend hours trying to pick just one theme from the hundreds they have, they are all good! Click Here to View Themes

Woo Themes: They have a lot of great themes here and I only wish they had more! They have a 3 for 1 offer, so you get three themes of your choice for $70 which is a great deal!

StudioPress: StudioPress is the pioneer in paid WordPress themes with support – and you’ll likely be a very happy customer if you like their designs. They don’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but they can be trusted.

This is the hardest part of getting your site ready. If you can choose a design, you’ll be on your way in no time!

Step 4: Install Your Theme

: Once you buy your WordPress theme, you are going to install it onto your site. Don’t worry – any theme you buy will have detailed step by step instructions, or you can just follow the directions here on How to Install a WordPress Theme.

Step 5: Add Posts, Pages, and Photos

: After everything is installed and working all that is left is adding your own photos and words to the page! There are also thousands of step by step tutorials and videos online for learning how to do all of this. See WordPress Lessons – the theme you purchase should also include directions for all of this.

If you do everything above step by step it really is not nearly as difficult as it may seem. And, if worse comes to worse, you can always hire a Ninja Blog Setup to do it all for you pretty cost effectively!

Have any questions about setting up your scrapbook business blog or website? Ask us in the comments section below!

Before you starting looking to buy a scrapbook business, there are some important considerations to think about:

Why is the scrapbook business owner selling? Some owners may sell only because they’ve moved on to something else or maybe they have family responsibilities that need their full attention. Others might be selling because they are not able to make a profit. Someone who is not making a profit may not be marketing or operating the business to its full potential – or it could mean that perhaps there is not enough of a target market or demand for the products and services the business provides.

How Will Taking Over the Business Benefit You?: If you do not already have a business, then perhaps purchasing one will help you get a head start amongst your competition or help you begin with a strong customer base. But, for some, it could mean extra expenses and responsibilities that you may not have expected. Be sure that you have the right intentions for when you are buying a business.

How Much Work is Required? It’s important that if you purchase a business that is already established, that you realize it may need just as much work if not more than starting a similar business from scratch. Perhaps the previous owner did not do much marketing, and now you will have to take over all of that, or maybe you want to add products and services the previous owner did not capitalize on.

What is Your Ideal Business to Buy?: If you are going to purchase an existing business, it’s important that you take some time making sure that you do some comparison shopping and that this business offers what you want. Some important factors might include website/brand name, what is included with the sale, if the business has a customer base or email list, etc. etc.

Is the Cost Reasonable?: Most scrapbook business owners I see selling their websites and businesses are not selling at “fair market value” but instead “fair emotional value”. Starting a business takes a lot of patience, time, and investment – and even if their business may only be worth a small amount, they may want to sell it for much more than it is actually worth. A good example of this was a digital scrapbooking website I was interested in. The seller wanted to sell it for $10,000. The problem? Their monthly revenue after expenses was only $200. It simply was not a good decision to spend that much for it. Make sure you research what similiar businesses are selling for so you have a good estimate of fair market value.

Legal and Tax Implications: Buying a business should always involve speaking to your accountant or tax advisor and a business attorney. Purchasing a business will affect how you do your taxes, and you will also want to make sure that you are following all applicable laws in your state about buying a business. You may also need to consider things like the type of business (LLC vs. sole proprietorship for example)

Once you have carefully weighed the pro’s and con’s of purchasing an established business, and have done your research to verify that there is still a demand for the product and services, your next step is to of course find your ideal scrapbooking business.

Here are some popular places to try:

Flippa.com: Flippa is my favorite website for selling and buying websites. I do not often see many scrapbooking websites for sale there, but it can be a great opportunity to find out about different online businesses that are for sale. I personally have sold several websites there and have been very happy with the results.

Craigslist: Many businesses will also sell their business on classified websites such as Craigslist and others. This can be a great opportunity, but remember that you’ll have to carefully research the business you are buying, as well as take into consideration any legal factors.

Local Real Estate Offices & Business Brokers: If you are looking to purchase a scrapbook store or other similiar type of business, these types of businesses are typically sold through brokers. Real estate offices may be in charge of selling or leasing the business space, a business broker may be in charge of selling the entire business and all of its assets. Check your local city’s commercial real estate listings, as well as check with any local or national business brokers that do business in your city and state.

Go to Owners Directly: Another method of finding a scrapbook business for sale is to go directly to the owner and ask if they have ever considered selling their business. This is especially effective if you notice a business is struggling to keep its doors open and the owner seems overwhelmed or disinterested. But, bear in mind, some owners may take great offense to this, so it helps to establish a bit of a relationship with them first. You may also be able to work out some sort of partnership with the existing owner.

Buying an established scrapbooking business can sometimes be more work than starting one from scratch. But, in some cases it can also be a lucrative way to start with an established customer base or get a head start above the competition. Remember before purchasing any business that you discuss it in detail with your tax adviser and business attorney.

And, of course, if you need any help in marketing your newly acquired scrapbooking business, we at ScrapVenture are more than happy to help! Click Here to Learn How ScrapVenture Can Help Your Scrapbooking Business.

Have any tips for purchasing a scrapbooking business or finding one for sale? Share your comments below!

What Makes a Good Business Name?

While there really is no wrong name for your business, some names are better choices than others. Here are a few of the traits of good business names:

1. Easy to Spell and Pronounce: If people cannot spell or pronounce your business name, this makes it more difficult for them to tell other people about you and refer new customers to you. Choose words that are not commonly misspelled and are not too hard to say aloud.

2. Not too Generic: If your scrapbooking business name is too generic, people will have a hard time remembering what it is. For example, there is a digital scrapbooking store I like to shop at, but I always forget what it is called because the name is very generic and I get the order of the words confused as well as always confuse it with other stores with similiar names.

3. Not Easily Mixed Up With Similar Words: Some words have various tenses and variations. For example, scrapbook and scrap or designs and designer. Be sure you think carefully about this also, for if someone types “yournamescraps.com” when your site is actually “yournamescrapbooking.com” they may not find your website or business.

4. Make Sure the Domain Name is Available: Speaking of domain names, it’s absolutely essential your business has a website. So, you’ll want to make sure that the name you want is available as a domain name. If your name is “Lucy Custom Scrapbooks” and someone else owns the domain LucyCustomScrapbooks.com it’s going to be tough for others to not get you confused.

Other Factors to Considering When Choosing a Scrapbook Business Name

State Requirements: Most states will require that you register your business name as a ficticious or “doing business as” name. This is usually relatively easy and painless to do, just visit your state’s small business administrations website. This will help ensure no one else is using the same business name as you and the cost is usually nominal.

Your Brand: A name is more than just what people call you – it is your brand. Along with a brand you will need a logo, so you may want to take that into consideration also. Some brands make for easy logos, others are a little more challenging to come up with. “Purple Daisy Scrapbooks” would be easy to brand with a logo of a purple daisy for example.

Your Personality: Many names invoke a different type of mood and personality. Think about what mood you would want a name for a scrapbook business to reflect. You may want to shy away from words that sound too serious and corporate and instead stick to something creative or unique. PickleBerryPop for example is the name of a very popular digital scrapbooking website and business. If they had stuck to something corporate, bland, or serious, chances are they would have had to work much harder to get the recognition they have now.

Be Careful of Spelling Differences: This is something that especially applies to anyone who was thinking about using the word “scraps” or “scrap” in their name. Why? Because if you drop the letter “s” or affix it to a word before “scraps” you might end up with crap. “Poodle Scrap Designs” sounds like a fine name, until you spell it as a domain poodlescrapdesigns.com – and someone might mistakingly read it as “poodles crap designs”….granted, most people would be understanding of this or not read it that way, but stlil something to take into consideration

Do Not Copy: Another important thing to remember is that you do not want to copy other names, especially trademarked brand names. For example, if you were “Two Peas Scrapbooking Designs” this could cause some legal issues for you, as Two Peas in a Bucket is a trademarked name. Not to mention, it could cause a lot of confusion for your customers.

Is the Name I Want Available?

Once you have a name chosen, you’ll want to make sure it’s available. If someone else is using the name, you will have to find a better alternative. This can cause a lot of people to get hung up, because it always seems like the good names are taken. But there are good ways to find names that are available.

1. Make Sure it Is Not Registered: If the business name you want is available as a domain name, chances are you’ll be okay. But make sure you also check registered trademarks to make sure the name you want is not listed there also. You can check the United States Trademark Website to research more.

2. Do a Search Online: Searching online in search engines can be one way to check if someone else is using your name, but it may not always be the most reliable. Not all websites or businesses know how to get their website to show up in search engines, but just because they don’t show up in Google, it does not mean you can steal their name.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for coming up with scrapbook business names? Share it in the comments below! And of course, if you are a ScrapVenture member and could use a little help deciding on a scrapbooking business name, just ask in our forum – we’re always more than happy to help!

While we always hear a lot about why it is so important to set goals, very few people will tell you how to set goals or what your goals should be. This is why so many of us struggle with setting goals. If you make the same mistake everyone else makes when setting goals, you may find you never get what you really want or helps your business grow.

Most people will tell you the biggest mistake to make with goal setting is to not make any goals at all. I disagree. A bad goal is just as bad as no goal. It might be worse than no goal at all. If you put all of your time and energy into a goal that doesn’t help your business succeed, that is usually worse than doing nothing at all.

A Goal Should Be a Journey, Not a Destination

Most goals are along the lines of “make more money” and “get more customers”. These are things all of us want for our business. But will these goals actually help us? How will you make more money? How will you get more customers?

Smart goals are not where you want to be, but things that will help you get where you want to be.

Imagine you are standing at the edge of a river. On the other side is a giant pile of money. Sure, of course you want that pile of money.  But your goal should not be the money – your goal should be to build a bridge so you can walk across!

When you set the goal of building a bridge, it’s so much easier to think about what you need to do to get that bridge built – and as soon as you reach your goal of building the bridge, you’re going to be able to cross to the other side and get what you want all the much easier.

Instead of generic goals about how much you want to accomplish, make goals that will help you accomplish more.

Rather than setting a goal to earn more or do more, set goals that will do this all on their own.

Once you know what type of goal is a good goal, you may be wondering how to decide what goals are right for you. Not everyone should build a bridge. You could take swimming lessons. It might be better to build a raft. You could fly in a helicopter to the other side.

Just as there’s more than one way to cross a river, there’s many different ways to help your business be more successful.

If you are struggling with planning your goals this year, here are two questions to ask yourself:

What were your accomplishments last year? Looking back at the things you were successful with the previous year can help you identify your strengths as a small business owner. For example, maybe you were great with attracting new clients or turning customers into repeat customers. Maybe you tried an online advertising campaign that really brought great results or held a special promotion that caught a lot of interest. By identifying your strengths, you can easily write a goal to repeat it – and your success rate will likely be good as well!

Where Did You Struggle?: No one is perfect, and it is likely you may have had a few obstacles. Looking at the things you struggled with can also help you identify goals. For example, if it was difficult for you to keep track of business expenses and other records, your goal could be to make a daily record or to take a business accounting class at your local university. If you found it hard to meet new customers, your goal could be to network with others who could help your business be more successful.

Goals will vary for everyone. And even though I said earlier that a bad goal is worse than no goal at all, there are no “wrong” or “right” goals when you make sure that the goal is one that will help you get to where you want to be with your scrapbooking business.

Need some goal setting help? If you are a ScrapVenture member, you can ask us anything at all in our forums – and don’t forget to check the Goal Setting Workbook we added to our Members Resources area this week.

Not a member yet? What are you waiting for? Join ScrapVenture and get access to all of our member’s resources to help your business be successful.