Steps to creating a successful business.

Hi everybody, welcome to my blog; I’m Cyril, a French student who studies international business in Chicago. I want to talk to you about my class, “Doing Business in the US,” and give you the steps to success so that you can create a company here.

I want to present to you Valerie Beck, my teacher, and her friend Mary Vallender, a real state agent. Both of them have achieved success because they have successfully networked.

Valerie Beck is a famous businesswoman. She owns a thriving company in the chocolate industry, but her success was not always easy. It all started when she worked as lawyer. Her work life was mostly about paperwork. She didn’t like it so she started to think what she could do to make it more exciting.

While studying in Paris she tried French chocolates and loved them. She didn’t want to keep this experience to herself, however, so she called a friend to come visit her and try the fabulous chocolate. She began to think of where she could get the best chocolates in the US, and soon the idea to create a “Chocolate Tour” around the US came up.

She didn’t go to business school so she didn’t know how to start. She made an Internet website but had no visitors. She went out on the street to talk about her business but no one paid attention.

Because of this she began to think of different ways to gather business. She called a lawyer and told them, “I organized a chocolate tour in the city” so that the lawyer could help. Networking is one of the most important things to do when starting a business and gathering customers. Now she had the help from a cocoa farmer, whom she could buy chocolate from at a good price.

You should visit her website to learn more information  http://www.valeriebeckchocolateuplift.com

Mary Vallender is a commercial woman and worked as a real estate agent. Similar to Valerie, she didn’t study to work where she works now. She obtained her MBA from Michigan State University. Then she got hired in the marketing department at Quaker Oats. She learned a lot about marketing, direct contact with customers, and how to respond to a customers needs.

Later on her company got into financial trouble and she was let go.  She managed to pick himself up after being fired, though, and soon after had the idea to sell apartments. Even though she already had a lot of similar skills that were needed to sell real estate, she was like Valerie in that nobody knew her. She used her networking skills to get customers, who in turn shared their experience with their friends. The good reviews made her credible, and more and more people began trusting her. Soon she was selling apartments that were worth 2 million dollars.

If you need good advice to buy an apartment contact Mary http://www.atproperties.com/agents/3060/mary-vallender

Linkedin profile : https://www.linkedin.com/pub/mary-vallender/a/128/b67/fr

Summary of, “Doing Business In The US”:

The first thing you need is an idea. With this idea you can create a business plan, which is essential to success. Then, you need to make a market analysis. Indeed, you must describe the company’s missions; define who your target is and who your competitor will be.

The second thing you need is money because it is the blood of your company. For instance, you could invest in equipment or employees. However you don’t need a lot of money just to start a company in the US.

The third thing you need to do in order to start a successful company is find customers, which could be done through a strong advertising campaign. Nevertheless, it cost a lot of money and sometimes you don’t have a good return on investment. Afterwards, you should create a website, a Facebook fan page (social media) to show what types of product or services you are offering to customers. Moreover you need to stay in touch with your network. You can network by participating in events or volunteering. In fact, developing your network is the best way to find new customers, and if they are happy with what you are doing, they will tell their friends about your business. This is a good way to start and run a successful company.

You can visit Valerie Beck blog to discover the best places to eat chocolate and stay connected with  the evolution of this market.  http://chocolateuplift.com