Barbara Corcoran is the real estate contributor for NBC’s TODAY Show where she regularly comments on trends in the real estate market. But most people know her as one of the sharks on ABC’s reality hit show Shark Tank. If you really want to question her business knowledge, consider that she turned a $1,000 loan and parlayed that loan into a $5 billion real estate business. Then in 2001, she sold that business for $66 million. This shows that she knows a little about building a business. Here are some of her best tips for small-business owners from an article on the Forbes website (followed by our comments):

“Don’t be afraid to make big mistakes. All the best things that happened in my business happened on the heels of failure. Don’t be afraid to fail; it’s proof that you are meant to be a successful entrepreneur. The only difference between people who are hugely successful and those who aren’t, is the time it takes them to get back up after getting knocked down.”

One of our regular training room renters is an entrepreneur who has had several businesses. Some have been successful and others not so successful. Now he teaches other entrepreneurs about the pitfalls he encountered.

“Little companies always move faster. The big guy may have the corner on money, but the little guy usually has the corner on creativity. Take some time to sit down and figure out how your big rival is promoting its brand and plan something smarter and more creative for yours.”

As a start-up, do you really want to be locked into a long-term lease for office space? Renting short-term office space on a month-to-month basis allows you to grow and expand your space without a penalty. But it also allows you to take smaller space at the same address without losing your corporate identity.

“Take full advantage of all the free social media out there. Before you go out and blow money on advertising, capitalize on the free online access that leads you direct to your customers. Blog, Tweet with humour, and make as many friends as you can on Facebook FB +%. You can quickly build a huge following of customers willing to try your new product without spending a dollar on advertising.”

Telsec has learned by experience that social media is the way to attract an audience and turn those views into customers. Many of our new Virtual Office clients found us through social media and this blog. Most of our posts are not about our products, but offer advice to small business owners. This helps to build trust and not be seen as just advertising the services we offer.

“Make a marketplace report. The best way to get some attention for your brand is to publish an industry report chock full of statistics. You’ll be surprised how much you know about your industry once you start putting some numbers down on paper. Reporters need stories, and if you put your report in a short, easy-to-read format and name it after your company, you’ll soon become the expert reporters call when they need a quote. The easiest way to steal market share from your competitors is to steal the limelight – and nothing does that faster than being quoted in the press.”

Since starting this blog and writing articles for other websites, Telsec is called upon from time to time to share advice to small businesses and start-ups. Business articles have even linked to some of our blogs as sources on the changes that are happening in office space.

“Stop putting it off! Procrastination is the enemy of success. The time you waste on stalling breeds guilt, and guilt deflates energy and sometimes even leads to depression. When you feel stuck and can’t seem to move ahead, always remember that you don’t have to get it right; you just have to get it going!”

When one of our office-space tenants had an idea for a new product, he asked us about renting an additional team space for a special project that would require 8 months of teamwork. We had an available team space and did not require them to sign a long-term lease. His team was able to come up with a plan and ended up only needing the additional space for 5 months. The short-term rental saved them a lot of money.

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18 King Street East Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario
M5C 1C4 Canada
416-574-1112

18 King Street East Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M5C 1C4
416-574-1112

Site Designed By Giant Shoe Creative.

Our Amenities

We are by far the most experienced and best coworking team in the market – established in 1980

We are the highest Tech centre in the market

We have a very modern, high quality, brand new facility located at:

18 King Street East, Suite 1400

Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C4 Canada

- 18 King Street East is a boutique Class A building – East of Yonge: easy street parking, less traffic, excellent restaurants and lovely parks – St. James Park @ Church & King and Berczy Park @ Wellington East, Scott and Front Streets – Very high energy and engaging area
- A few steps (a few seconds) to the Yonge Street subway/underground PATH network and streetcar available outside building
- Building is located in Toronto's vibrant financial district
- Plenty of parking available in the area including street parking and reserved parking in the 18 King building
- Adjacent to the building huge outdoor food courtyard - Beer Bistro www.beerbistro.com and Craft Beer Market www.craftbeermamrket.ca restaurants and bars with onsite catering services
- Onsite amenities: Tim Horton's, Beer Bistro, Convenience store and Starbucks across the street
- Nearby amenities: underground PATH network, numerous restaurants, banking, Starbucks plus a wide array of nearby shops and services
- New modernized office layout fully furnished with meeting spaces and training rooms plus café lounge area
- We are leaders in the service of training/meeting rooms with full conference facilities, high quality hot and cold catering
- Largest training room and conference facilities accommodate up to 60 people classroom style
- Ultra-high-speed - 1 GIG pipe = 1,000 x 1000 fiber-optic network, which will deliver internet connection speeds faster than most North American services
- Private shower room
- Indoor Reserved Parking at the current building rental rate
- Bicycle parking
- Rent a space to accommodate your team for meetings, training sessions, corporate events or coworking space or flexible office space for one day, one week, one month or one year, or whatever term suits your business
- Telsec has over 650 locations in 40 different countries worldwide available for their clients. Office clients receive up to 8 hours of meeting space per month at no charge at any ABCN member location. Plus, Office and Virtual Office clients may rent a space from any member location at special member rates which varies depending on the location
- King Edward Hotel is located across the street - recently completed a $40 million renovation and boutique hotels close by within walking distance

Dining and entertainment at high quality restaurants only minutes away – Carisma, Terroni, Woods Restaurant & Bar and Michelin Rated - Restaurant 20 Victoria. Plus numerous lunch and takeout eateries nearby

Please check out our 70 second video on our home page or click here:

Take a look at our facilities www.telsec.net

Telsec will Customize Your Client’s Office(s) Layout to Meet Their Requirements.

You are welcome to drop-in any-time, a quick call would be appreciated to ensure our availability Vanessa 416-574-1112 or Josie 416-606-4349 or e-mail josie@telsec.net.

Business tips inspired by Barbara Corcoran

Looking to Learn More?

The differences between a mail-forwarding service and a P.O. Box

Can a business centre replace a virtual assistant?

Business tips inspired by Barbara Corcoran

Looking to Learn More?

The differences between a mail-forwarding service and a P.O. Box

Can a business centre replace a virtual assistant?

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