How would you market yourself? -

I have been a personal trainer for years but have only been doing it occasionally on the side for the past 3 or 4 years. Now I am at the point where I am ready to start making a living at it again. I have access to a small personal training studio that I will be training in, but I am 100% responsible for building my own clientele. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to market myself so as to generate business? By the way, I think I am really good at what I do if it makes a difference.

When marketing yourself, think of yourself as the product and what you can do as the service. The process of marketing yourself includes:Define your mission and the benefits you offer : * Start with self knowledge: natural talents (aptitudes), interests, personality and values * Consider what role fits you best. * Ask yourself, What do I have to offer? * Set your objective: What exactly do you want to achieve? * Design performance measures * Gather analyze, and interpret information about your situation

I would choose from 1 to 3 specialized market segments, for instance pregnant women, or busy executives, or woman executives. Gear your promotion specifically to those few groups.

I want to open my own Performing Arts School, is it a good time to do this in the current market? -

How hard is to start a small business today? and is a performing arts school profitable?

Before you dance your way into your community s heart, there are two significant cross-currents in this economy that are worth paying attention to:First, of course, is that consumers are worried about their careers and aren t in the mood to commit to major new spending. We ll know a lot more in the coming months as the holiday spending season shapes up, but it looks like a slow-growth Christmas and 2010. That means you would be competing for a share of a non-growing pie. If you chose to do this, you would need to build a serious business plan that would include losing money for at least 18 months to 2 years. The flip-side is equally fascinating, though. Recessions are times when people fold back to those who matter most to them, meaning their family and friends. And they look for ways to improve the quality of life for those people (as well as themselves). So, if you could tap into the market for self-improvement and family growth, you might have something.One other point: Retail space hasn t been this cheap in years. If you were to negotiate hard for a space, you could likely get a great location.As you build your business plan, you will need to take a cold, hard look at whether the school would be perceived as a must-have or a nice-to-have. If it s the latter, you d better make sure you have plenty of pre-paid clients before you open your doors.

Running a Vet Office/Hospital..Becoming A Vet? -

It has always been my dream to Run a Vet Office or Hospital, But of course i want it to be successful. I am not a Vet but I am a vet/technician/assistant. I have considered going to school to be a vet, But was wondering if That would make my business more profitable, considering I want to be very involved in running my business. Also, any tips from people who have done this... Suggestions, things they had to learn the hard way, even simple money saving tips would be great, thanks and no negativity!

In many states you cannot own a veterinary practice unless you are a licensed veterinarian, so if you are intending to own a practice you need to check the laws in your state. You may be able to get around this by owning and providing the facilities and staff while a veterinarian actually owns the practice. But you would need to have the capital to purchase an appropriate building, diagnostic equipment, hospital cages, surgical equipment, exam room equipment, etc etc etc. If you simply want to get into a management position, you can go a couple of different routes--Certified Veterinary Practice Manager or a degree in veterinary technology that focuses on management. You say you are a veterinary technician/assistant, so I m assuming that you are not a credentialed veterinary technician. (There is a difference is those two titles) Therefore if you went the degree route (which I would say is actually the best option as a bachelors degree is going to look much better on your resume and give you other options for what to do while you look for that management position) you would need to enroll in an AVMA accredited veterinary technology degree program and earn you Associates degree and then work towards your bachelor s degree focusing on practice management. St. Petersburg College offers this bachelor s degree program and there is even a special scholarship for people who are following the management track. You can find information on it at their website: http://www.spcollege.edu/hec/vt/index.ht�� There are more than 20 colleges that offer a bachelor s degree program in veterinary technology, so you do have choices as to what college to attend. However, if you really aren t into the veterinary technology stuff this option really might not fit you.St. Petersburg veterinary technology website: http://www.spcollege.edu/hec/vt/index.ht��www.avma.org/AVMA website with a list of all bachelors degree programs: http://www.avma.org/education/cvea/vette��The Certified Veterinary Practice Manager s program is offered through the Veterinary Hospital Manager s Association. It requires that you currently be employed in a management position in a veterinary hospital and that you have 18 hours of college credits in management related topics and 48 hours of continuing education in hospital management related topics in order to apply. http://www.vhma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an��