If you don’t have an idea yet of what kind of business you would like to develop you may find some inspiration here. Read and learn.

10 Big Marketing Predictions For 2010 David Siteman Garland

2010 is going to be an incredible year for marketing. Now, of course I don’t have a crystal ball (or do I…insert creepy music here) but the shift is unmistakable and can’t be ignored.

The days of hit and miss expensive marketing and advertising are OVER. I’ll pause for a moment of silence. But with this big change, comes a tremendous creative opportunity for small and big businesses alike.

Big brands, niche brands and entrepreneurs that survived the storm of 2009 are in an exciting position for 2010. It is going to be a time where innovative and change in marketing is going to flourish. Marketing is going to be cheaper, faster and smarter. Read more here.

Make Smarter Marketing Bets in 2010 – Steve McKee explains why it’s worth strategizing now for three different economic scenarios next year

Things have been going so poorly for so long that any of us could be forgiven for thinking recession is the new normal. The economy has been in decline for 22 months, and as we head into 2010 many pundits assume things are going to continue as they are—or maybe get even worse. Others figure 2010 can’t be anything but better than 2009 and recommend business leaders plan accordingly. Read more here.

10 Personal Branding Predictions for 2010 by Dan Schawbel

Each year, I give my personal branding predictions in the December time frame, but this year, people are starting to ask me about the future earlier.  In 2008, the focus was on behavior changes and in 2009, I concentrated on the economy and the struggle to protect your brand at all costs.  This year, I’ve been analyzing a lot of trends that will have a major impact on our careers and how companies will manage, retain and recruit employees moving forward.  A lot of my predictions involve technology because people have already started changing their behavior, but technology is going to open up even more opportunities. Read more here.

Photo from Flickr by seanmcgrath

You can meet and connect to people with similar interests by going to a meeting with a theme that attracts you. From the beginning you know that you already have something in common with the other people there.

Prepare yourself beforehand to get the most of it. Consider how you want to be perceived. Optimistic, entrepreneurial, open-minded, ready to help others? So, use this networking opportunity to become this person – act like it. Just go and talk to people next to you, take part in a conversation. Speak up, promote yourself or your business.

Why did you come for the meeting? Think about who you want to meet there, what kind of relationships you want to build. Other people around you come to networking meetings with the same objectives – to find a customer, a business partner, a friend. Ask people questions and give them your full attention, learn from them.

During the meeting the energy flows from one person to another and comes back. It goes from the speaker to the audience, and comes back as questions and feedback. As a member of an audience or a networker, think about what you can bring to the meeting and what you can give to others.  The energy and enthusiasm you put out is guaranteed to come back to you.

The Meet Up.com website has thousands of different groups you can choose from. Whether you’re an artist, a writer, an entrepreneur or a business person you’re sure to find a group that interests you. You may even have a chance to meet one of the Success Abroad team in one of the meetings!

So go on, get out there!

Build up a business relationship.

Get inspired.

Meet new people.

To connect with other successful foreigners in London, join us at our Facebook Fan Club.

Find out more here.

To get your free ticket for London and Surrey Play to Win in June click here.

For example, I typed in Google ‘starting a business in London’ and got back 12,900,000 results. People love sharing their experience, knowledge. Some people provide valuable information on this topic and actually earn money. Personally, I like the government’s website which helps people with running small businesses – Business Link. You can find there all sorts of advice on how to start a business step by step, guides on employing staff, taxes. The website is really easy to follow, provides online interactive tools for filling in important forms, with information about events related to your query, information on grants and much more.

So if you’re thinking about starting up a business or developing existing one go for free information on www.businesslink.gov.uk.

Learn from the best in this short video, covering the essential elements needed for a successful business.

More reading: