Running away when you find yourself in a competitive environment without a single effort or even a failed trial to see if you can make it can be termed the worst form of failure.

What defines you as a success story, are those efforts you made on your way to success and not the success itself. Your ability to take the bull by the horn and make concerted efforts to make a mark when everything seems blurry is what the definition of yourself should be.

Small and growing businesses tend to run into hiding when the “Big bull” (the big business) comes to town.

Some go as far as closing up even before the arrival of these big businesses. They surrender at the mention of the arrival of big businesses not minding the fact that they (the small businesses) have existed for a very long time.

This is as a result of the self-inflicting pain and fear that they bring upon themselves due to poor orientation and insufficient grooming. As a small business owner, you should be able to adapt and change with changing market conditions. When the market is shaky and unstable, your agility and stance must be firm and resolute.

A proper mindset, a proper thinking pattern and a good success orientation and grounding would help you to adjust and face the competitive business world confidently and bravely too.

It would not be much difficult for any small business that has been doing well in the past to retain its market despite the presence of big brands/businesses.

All you need to do is believe that you can make it and retain your company’s image along with your value driven products and services.

Nevertheless, a small business that have not been living up to expectation can still put up measures to weather the storm at the emergence of big businesses.

You as the owner of a small and growing business should possess a reasonable certainty and resolution devoid of relying on weak hopes to take your business to the next level as you aim at achieving success. You do this by putting in place, a good marketing system that directs and helps you to achieve reasonable amounts of profits and success.

The big mistake that most small and growing businesses make is that they are unsure of themselves and end up using excuses to cover up. They fail to realize that their business is meant for some people and those potential consumers would come looking for them if only they can distinguish themselves and offer something substantial and valuable.

You have people that believe in you and in what you have to offer. Remind yourself of this always and you will conceive that driving force you need to propel you further for more profitable actions.

When your mindset is constructed and built up with the thought that, “if anyone can do it, so can I”, all your actions and strategies would be based on energy and hard work aimed at hitting your target and reaching your goal.

It is therefore left for you as a small business owner to decide to stay put even if you are surrounded by the big businesses and create products and services that would help you sustain and grow your business.

Your products and services have to possess greater value to the customers.

As a small business owner, you have an edge over big businesses because;

Your operational costs are low.

You have direct contacts with your customers.

Due to your closeness to your customers, you can get to know what they think about your products and services and how you can serve them better.

You can come up with a very dynamic and targeted marketing plans and systems that cut across your target audience.

Some of these advantages are not always available to big businesses due to their administrative bottlenecks and wide (sometimes unnecessary) market coverage.

Product creation could be a frightening subject for a lot of Internet marketers to face. Some folks who get in the game with the intention of making a full time income are completely ignorant as to how an online business operates. One of the most profitable ways to create online cash is by creating a product that others are happy to pay for.

Product creation is legitimate method of generating money through internet marketing but many entrepreneurs get it wrong. They start by imitating their Internet marketing gurus by creating information products on Internet marketing in hopes of getting rich the way their heroes did. The problem is that they usually don’t know what they are doing and enter a highly competitive niche with very little marketing experience or connections.

Here are a few tips for effective product creation that may help you get on the right track:
Start by finding a profitable niche with low to moderate competition. If you conduct some rudimentary market research and keyword research, you’ll find many opportunities in areas that will surprise you. Amazon and eBay are two great places to brainstorm for product ideas.

Developing Your Product does not have to be a difficult project. You can find experts in the right field for your niche and pay them to write the material while an artist designs the packaging and website or blog. You can outsource the entire product creation part of the project after you conduct the research and testing to ensure profitability.

Sales and marketing strategies should be created while developing the product and learning about the market. Some experienced marketers use pay per click to drive traffic to their offer page; some folks outsource the entire marketing campaign to affiliates through ClickBank or other affiliate programs.

Product creation does not need to be hard, particularly when the merchandise is electronic. E-books, videos, audio and multi-media products sell very well. They are distributed immediately to customers electronically. Once you have a good feel for a niche market, try to service your customers with associated products and upgrades. If you want to earn money online through product creation, you must understand supply and demand. The majority of new online marketers fail miserably because they go after highly competitive markets or forget to research their chosen niche properly. You have to create your products according to the needs, wants and desires of the prospective customers.

You call it a legal service?

“I paid my Attorney in Manhattan (NY) $7,000.00 for getting my immigration papers processed and he screwed up big time. I kept walking in and out of his office for about three months, not paying attention to the wrath of my bad tempered employer or to the deductions he made in my wages for not showing up in the office on every alternate day. Getting my legal status in place was a priority for me that time; nothing else seemed to be as important. Every time I entered my Attorney’s office, I used to wait for my turn for hours together; (apparently he had hundreds of clients visiting him every day) and finally when I used to be ushered in, he would give me exactly 5 minutes to talk and I had to use all the senses at my command to effectively utilize those precious 5 minutes for having my queries answered. The worst thing was that he even lacked the courtesy of asking me to sit down. He used to make it look as if I was getting the work done for free and he was obliging me with the services he rendered. After a couple of months of filing the papers I got shot (point blank) with a ‘Denial letter’ from the immigration department. That day I had felt like Heavens falling. I was in a total mess and that Attorney had the nerve to ask me for more money in order to get the appeal filed, knowing very well that I wasn’t earning more than $300.00 a week. Worst of all, when I asked him what my chances were, he made it clear in his harsh and insensitive tone that his services did not have any sort of guarantees attached. My whole world had seemingly collapsed and all he could do to help was, to give me a choice, to hire any other Attorney if I so desired. I still remember him smiling brazenly at me, totally unaffected, when I walked out of his office with tears in my eyes.”

This is what happened with one of my acquaintances, a couple of years ago. Poor fellow did not have the courage to file a complaint against the Attorney as he did not want to jeopardize his case further. He was new to United States and did not know his rights and the worst thing was that he had got that huge amount of $7000.00 wire transferred from his home country, as he did not have a regular job that time. Needless to say, that in States, a person cannot even think of surviving without a Social Security number which is issued only after the legal status is granted. Having that kind of money down the drain in ‘one go’ and that too without any results, I can only imagine his predicament in that nerve-racking moment of his life. The question is…would that Attorney have ever thought, even for a single moment, about that poor man, after he quietly walked out of his office, that fateful day?

Legal malpractice

We have thousands of people complaining about the professional misconduct of the Attorneys who seem to show absolutely no concern over the problems of their clients. For them every client is just a case and nothing more than that. They charge exorbitant amounts as legal fees but do not deliver proportionately. As a result of their intimidating fee structure, a large percentage (of people) is left with no choice except to forego their rights or else approach the courts (if the situation so demands) with zero knowledge of the existing legal system; either way it proves fatal for such helpless people. They either get bullied by the Judge or face the music in the court dumbfounded, with butterflies in their stomach as they stand no chance against the legal jargon used by the opposing Attorneys.

Prepaid legal services

I found that ‘Prepaid Legal Services’ (PPL) was a perfect alternative in situations where it is difficult to afford an Attorney. These services turn out more beneficial in helping with day to day legal issues for which we, normally, do not hire an Attorney. They would charge you anywhere between $15 and $25 per month towards membership fees, depending on the State you are living in. In lieu of the membership fees, they extend many benefits ranging from, issuing legal notices and letters on your behalf free of cost, giving free legal consultation and complimentary document review up to 20-25 pages. In addition, if they feel you need an Attorney for any court case, they assign your case to a law firm (in their panel) which will take up your case at a 25-30% discounted legal fee. Sounds fair! These firms, however, are mostly loaded with cases and you really need to be patient for them to call you back. Also, they prioritize cases depending on the urgency involved.

Legal aid society

Yet another way to have a lawyer defend your case, in the event of acute financial hardship, is to seek the assistance of ‘Legal Aid’. These organizations work with a principle of ‘justice for all’. They see to it that no one goes without legal support and guidance only for the reason of shortage of finances. They, however, have to be convinced with your ‘financial crisis’ plea, before they take up your case. Due to lack of adequate funds, these organizations do not widely advertise their services, as a result of which, a large percentage of people remain absolutely clueless as to their existence and the way of approaching them. These societies exist in every State and all what one needs to do is to search for their addresses or phone numbers in the local directory. They have really helped many distressed people who had almost lost all hopes of getting a fair chance. Some links for legal aid help are mentioned below.