Many small business owners mistakenly assume that they don’t have a “brand”.  They may associate the word with mega-corporations like McDonalds, Delta Airlines, and Sony (for example).  But every company has a brand image, including yours, and just because you choose to ignore that fact doesn’t mean that consumers aren’t forming opinions about your business.  All you’re doing by neglecting to manage your brand identity is ensuring that others (the media, competitors, etc.) control how your brand is perceived by the public.  In order to keep your brand image in line with your business goals you absolutely must determine how it is shaped as much as possible.

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to endear customers to your brand, as well as spin any negative attention that comes your way.  And if your goal is financial gains (as it is for most companies), then you need to address both of these issues.  A good place to start is with the products or services you offer.  Are they necessary and/or popular?  Do you receive bad reviews or persistent customer complaints?  Do you seem to be losing money even though your products are the best available on the market?  If you’re facing such issues, you’ve made a wrong turn with your branding strategy.  First you need to offer the public something they can’t live without.  Then you need to convince them that they can’t live without it.  And finally, you need to stand by your assertion by ensuring that customers receive the service and consideration that will keep them loyal.  In short, the customer is always right.

Of course, you first need to notify potential customers that you’re in business.  Advertising can be an effective (but expensive) means to this end.  But thanks to emerging technologies you can communicate with a broad range of consumers through targeted efforts online and in the mobile space, including a website, blogs, and social networking outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and more.  You’ll need to keep your finger on the pulse of pop culture, but it can really pay off in exposure.  And of course, you should create a store that is appealing to customers, both in the real world and in virtual space.  So consider your décor, store signs, and employee appearance as well as the design of your website and online store.  Building and maintain a brand image is no easy feat, but if you want to realize wealth in your business venture you can’t afford to ignore the impact of your brand.

1. Nicaragua.  Believe it or not, the Central American country has come a long way in the last couple of decades, cleaning up the drug problems that permeated the world news to create a place that is safe, comfortable, and looking to take in retirees.  As of last year, they implemented a foreign retiree residency program to help international retirees make Nicaragua their home away from home.  Housing prices are realistic (even for beachfront property), the cost of living is low, and the government encourages small business.  For the person looking to retire in style, Nicaragua has a lot to offer.
2. Malaysia.  Although Thailand also has a lot to offer foreigners looking to retire (with low prices on everything from housing to food to services), Malaysia goes the extra mile by making it extremely easy for retirees to gain legal residency status, something that many Asian nations are not too keen to offer.
3. The south of France.  Although Paris is not the cheapest place in the world to retire (not by a long shot), there are regions in France, especially in the scenic southern portion, where retirement on a budget is possible.  Whereas you can expect to pay upwards of $2,000 a month for an apartment in Paris, you could buy a house in southern France for less than $100,000 (a lot less, in some cases).  You will also enjoy the laid back atmosphere of rural living, tons of outdoor activities, and of course, incredible health care, which is not only offered to citizens, but foreign retirees, as well.
4. Florida.  It may be cliché, but if you’re looking to retire in the U.S. you could do worse than the southernmost continental state.  The weather is undeniably hot and humid throughout much of the year, but you won’t ever have to deal with cold winter storms again.  And the fact that there is no state income tax is a bonus if you plan to use your extra time to start your own business.
5. Right where you are.  You don’t need a regional directory to tell you that the place you currently reside is awesome!  If you own a home and you can afford to continue living there (even on a truncated retirement income) then there’s really no reason to uproot your entire life (especially since this is a terrible time to sell a home).  Remain close to friends, family, and an area that you are intimately familiar with.  If you’re content, there’s no reason to move upon retirement.

1.   Learn the lingo.  How do you know what you’re supposed to do with your money when terms like NYSE, portfolio, and even budget leave you scratching your head?  Even if you know what they mean, you might not be sure about real world applications.  But if you don’t have the foggiest notion about what your stock broker is saying then you can’t really take an active role in planning your financial future.  In this respect, a club provides a whole group of people with a wide range of knowledge and no ulterior motives in answering your questions.

2.   Pick up the basics.  How many of you have a checking account?  Probably everyone.  How many have a savings account?  Still quite a few.  How many have a 401K?  Maybe a few less.  What about a Roth IRA?  Or an investment portfolio?  Not too many.  You’ve probably heard horror stories about those who have lost their shirt with investments because they didn’t know what the heck they were doing and/or they entrusted their life savings to a third party (like a brokerage firm) that couldn’t care less about the paltry purse that nonetheless held everything they had.  You don’t want to be that person.  But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn the basics and get started with better methods of saving and investing.

3.   Money management skills.  Did you know there are adults out there that were never taught to balance a checkbook, much less form a sound budget or invest wisely?  You can benefit from the experience of other members in this area, many of whom were likely in your shoes in the past (some fairly recently).

4.  Get tips.  Networking with a group that follows financial interests could benefit you in a variety of ways, but one of the best reasons to join up is to get information about new investments or stocks and bonds to avoid from people who know how to read the signs from the market.  You might even come across some great investment opportunities that would have otherwise eluded you.

5.  Group investing.  One of the advantages of being part of a club like this is that you may be able to invest as a group.  This will allow you to realize greater diversity in your ventures, benefit from the experience of more seasoned investors, and ultimately maximize your profits.

Emma Martin writes for The Guestlist Club where you can find info on China White, the hottest club in London.

If you’re like most people, there are two items that repeatedly pop up on your list of New Year’s resolutions: lose weight and save money.  While everybody knows that diet and exercise are the key to losing those extra holidays pounds, few adults have a clear idea of how to go about setting a budget and ramping up their savings.  It’s no surprise considering how many people have trouble balancing a checkbook.  So if you’re looking towards the new year without enough scratch in your bank account to buy a bag of peanuts (much less support you for three months if you lose your job), then perhaps it’s time to take a crash course in budgeting.  Here are a few tips to get you started.

1.  Get help.  If you’ve never used a budget, chances are you haven’t the faintest idea how to formulate one.  Seek the help of a financial advisor to set you up with something that works for you.

2.   Write it out.  There is a common phrase that amounts to “something written is something remembered”.  Try writing out all of your expenses for the month (including estimated entertainment spending and yearly payments like property tax and insurance broken out into monthly increments).  Until you know what you’re spending, you’re going to have a hard time controlling it.

3.  Cut credit.  This is not a metaphor.  You should physically cut up your credit cards (all but the one with the lowest interest rate, and this should be kept in a lock-box for emergencies).  If you don’t have access to credit, you can’t spend more than you earn.

4.   Share information.  One of the major problems for couples or families on a budget is that one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing.  If you’re not sharing information, you’re likely seeing problems every month.

5.  Online banking.  Sign up for online banking as an easier way to have visibility of your accounts.  Make a habit of checking in daily to stay on top of your budget and avoid overdrafts.

6.  Track purchases.  Many people spend without realizing how much they’re wasting on unnecessary purchases.  Keep all of your receipts in a pile (even when you pay cash) and then total them up at the end of the month.  The horrifying figure may just prompt you to keep better track of your spending.

7.  Get cash.  Try a little experiment.  Withdraw an entire month’s worth of pay in cash (or money orders) and use it to pay for everything (bills, groceries, gas, etc.).  Separate it into envelopes to cover each area, including savings, and see if you can stop yourself from dipping into the savings portion.

8.  Consolidate.  If you find that you’re spending more than you earn each month, consolidate your debt into one low-interest loan so that you can lower monthly payments and spend less in the long run.  Just don’t use it as an excuse to rack up more credit card debt.

9.  Prepare for April 15^th.  You probably lose a lot of money each year that could counteract your tax debt simply because you aren’t keeping track of possible write-offs.  How much you save could be just as important as how much you spend.

10. Make savings a monthly bill.  If you view your savings account as a bill that must be paid monthly like all the others, you’ll have less trouble socking some money away.  The easiest method to accomplish this is to add a monthly automatic withdrawal from your checking to your savings account.  Like direct pay of bills, you won’t even have to think about it.

Emma Martin writes for Coin Collecting where you can find information on vintage and rare coins and chat with other members via the online forum.

Define Ultra Wealthy

First, you need to define ultra wealthy for yourself.  Do you agree that it means you are worth $30 million or more?  Is the title of billionaire the only acceptable definition?  Is it more simple, such as being able to pay your bills and have plenty leftover to play with?  Does it mean owning property on each side of the country or being able to retire very early?

Set Goals

This one is of utmost importance.  You need to set goals and you MUST write them down.  Don’t leave them floating in your head.  Either you’ll forget them or you’ll start to feel overwhelmed and wind up never reaching your goal.  Chalene Johnson, my favorite motivator, is constantly reminding people to work on their to-do lists.  She claims she is average in every way, but her ability to write down her goals and follow through sets her apart.

Take a few minutes to write down some goals for today, then for the week, the month, and the entire year.  Break down the large tasks (such as “Save $10,000 by the end of the year”) into smaller ones to tackle on your daily or weekly lists.  It will make them more realistic and tangible—you’ll know you’re making progress.  And you’re not too busy to do this—in fact, you’ll either learn that you’re not as busy as you think you are, or you’ll learn better time management.  I guarantee from personal experience that you will feel LESS stress.

Take Action

Now that you have your goals on paper, it’s time to DO SOMETHING.  You will not become ultra wealthy by reading your to-do list.  You have to take action.  When you know you have to accomplish something by the end of the day and it’s staring you down, you’ll actually look for ways to make sure you get it done.  There are few things as satisfying as crossing a goal off of your list.

Once you’re a few months (or maybe years) in, it will still be important to set and go after goals.  To remain ultra wealthy, you have to remain active.  If you started a business, you can delegate responsibilities as much as you want, but you need to know what’s going on and continue to be creative and find ways to keep things running smoothly or even improve.  If you invested your money, you need to stay educated on companies and trends and know what moves to make when.

Maintain Good Money Habits

According to Forbes.com, the main reason people fall off of the Billionaire list is death; the next reason is allowing too much debt to accumulate.  You can’t control the first one, but you can control the second one.  You do this by continuing to set goals, taking action, and maintaining good money habits.  The ultra wealthy who remain on these top lists know how to protect the money they’ve made.  When you reach this point (or even if you’re steadily on your way), your risk of a sudden and dramatic loss increases.  Make sure you have a few safe investments and/or savings set up to avoid this danger.

If you’re still in the “pondering” phase, you’re likely to talk yourself out of taking the first few steps.  There’s no doubt that it’s a little scary to start on such an ambitious path as becoming ultra wealthy.  But don’t let that fear of failure get in the way.  If you don’t write down your goals, break them down into easily digestible steps, and take action now, when will you?  Small steps and small savings are always a positive start.  Aim big, but don’t be afraid to start small.