Email is an extremely convenient mode of communication; perhaps too easy, as it seems to invite people to contact you for sometimes barely any reason at all. And with all that email coming in that needs attention, it can be hard to get anything else done. So how can you get a grip on your business emails before it gets its grip on you? Getting Control Of Email Success in small business relies on discipline, focus and good time management. Often, however, necessary tasks like checking, reading and responding to emails can start to overtake productive work time and decrease your productivity - and in turn, your profitability. That is why it's important for you to be managing emails, rather than letting emails manage you. Here are some pointers from the experts:

• Schedule time for checking emails; this can be once, twice, or three times daily at times that fit into your schedule. Block out time and when the time is up, move on to other pressing matters.
• Do not use email for emergency contacts; inform clients and business associates that you are not available immediately via email, and that they should phone or contact you via instant message or mobile phone for pressing matters. This makes it possible for you to handle emails in chunks rather than constantly throughout the day. Be careful who you give emergency contact information to, though, so that it is used for its intended purpose.
• Turn off automatic alerts, both audio and visual, so that you are not tempted to immediately respond every time a new message comes in, breaking into your productive work time.
• Deal with emails during your 'down time'; do not schedule your most creative and productive times of day for organising emails. Put email management into your schedule where it makes sense - those times of day when you need to slow down, or that do not take away from more complex activities.
• Use tools for organising emails; get to know the features of your email client and use them to prioritise emails. For instance, separate emails into folders according to priority levels, clients, or subjects, or use settings to automatically send emails to appropriate folders or locations.
• Respond to emails when read; many people will read all emails before responding, and then go back and start with the most important ones. But this only multiplies the time it takes to get through the lot. Respond to emails as they are read, and you will not have to begin all over again sifting through them.
• Separate business and personal emails; do not give out business email addresses to friends and family that do not have a business reason to contact you.

Email is a very useful and important business tool, but if you don't learn how to efficiently manage your emails they will begin to take over your business life. Put into practice these and other tips to put email in its rightful place. Source: EzineArticles

Every business in the world is run by an entrepreneur, at least at the initial stages. Entrepreneurship isn't as easy as one thinks. There are many things that are needed in an entrepreneur to become a successful entrepreneur. Out of these so many things one thing that has changed for good is the misconception that entrepreneurs are only born and cannot be created. If this would have been true then there wouldn't have been so many huge business schools making people entrepreneurs who weren't originally entrepreneurs. Here we will look at some of the most important qualities that an entrepreneur must have in order to be successful in entrepreneurship. 1. Self Confidence In order to succeed anywhere in the life one needs to have self confidence. Self confidence not only gives a person self assurance that he is right but also gives him or her courage to face the unseen challenges ahead. Often people think that self confidence only means to assume that everything that one thinks is right and the whole God damn world is wrong. Self confidence depicts the confidence in one's abilities and endurance to bear the unbearable of the toughest situations in life. 2. Pro-activity One other key feature of entrepreneurs is being proactive. As the businesses in this fast changing world have become very dynamic, it has become very difficult to see the changes come through and react. It is not also an advisable option to react to the situations that arrive in one's life. Entrepreneurs need to see the things in a very different angle. They need to be sure of the coming things and they should be forward looking with prepared minds to be prepared and able to handle any kind of situation that may arise in their lives. 3. Self initiative It is very important that entrepreneurs should be self starters. Often entrepreneurs don't get the things done unless they need to. Especially in cases of initiatives that need to be carried in an organization for any kind of change. Facing change is difficult but it will become worse if you behave like a sitting duck in a pound waiting for a crocodile. Grab the challenges and get yourself ahead of the competition be being more of an initiator rather then a freaking mindless entrepreneur only waiting for things to go wrong or do something when need may arise. 4. Self discipline A golden trait of an entrepreneur is being self disciplined. It is very hard to imagine that entrepreneurs won't be self disciplined. But that is the hard fact of life and that is why most ventures fail. Entrepreneurs usually become lousy when they are nearing success and think that that's it. But a successful entrepreneur is the one who doesn't lapse in efforts and is consistent with his efforts the way he use to put in efforts before. Source: Ezine Articles

The number one activity online is email even with the growth of broadband internet and new Net tools such as podcasting. A Gallup poll found over 67% of Internet users send and receive email regularly and email outranks other online activities including shopping, downloading music, or reading blogs. Email communication is nothing more than write and click ... or is it? Although email use has proliferated; proper and professional email use has not. It's easy to resist the need for email management and manners. Look at the telephone. It's assumed we never had to learn how to use that. Actually, when Alexander Graham Bell first created the phone people were baffled on how to use it. The new technology presented challenges of how to answer the phone, what could be discussed, and what was the best use for the device. Even today after a century of using the phone, businesses continue to enhance their learning of better phone techniques. Now in the Internet age, the email represents the new technology we must master. Take home these email management tips to effectively take control of your business email communications. 6 Simple Small Business Email Tips Collect' Em: With the low cost of email communications, email trumps more costly marketing methods such as direct mail and telephone. A study by Jupiter Research found email campaigns targeted with web analytics can produce 18 times the profits of broad mailings. Relentlessly collect customer and lead email addresses all the time. Use a contact management program to handle your growing list. Remove Barriers: Customers want fast and easy communication from companies they want to do business with. Your website contact page should have your email address. Asking web visitors to fill in a form to send a simple mail will stop many in their tracks. Gather more customer information once you have gained the initial contact. If you are worried about being spammed, invest in a good spam protection program. Avoid Sensitive Issues: Never handle sensitive issues by email. The chance for miscommunication can make matters worse. There are times when you need to pick up the phone or set up a face-to-face contact instead of taking the easy way out with email. When you are full of emotions, stay clear of your email. Handle at Once: Don't fall into the trap of reading emails and thinking I'll respond later. Later never arrives and soon your inbox is full of important and unimportant mail. Scott Allen, Co-Author of "The Virtual Handshake" recommends "Most people configure their email reader to interrupt them every time an email comes in. This means you are interrupted throughout the day. Instead, we suggest keep your email reader closed most of the day. Only check email once a day." Use the 10 Second Rule: We all lead busy, time-pressed lives. Receiving a long-winded email with one big paragraph creates a response to file for later use. Readers have a tendency to skim and miss critical details. Before you send out your email message, edit down to short sentences, add bullet points, and be concise. When someone opens your email they should be able to know within 10 seconds or less what your message is about. It's the Law: Know the rules of using email in the business world. Be aware of the laws and regulations in your business, industry, country, and state surrounding email usage. Our world is becoming increasingly transparent and customers expect your small business to handle their data in a private and confidential manner. Incorporating these 6 simple business email tips will put you on the road to effective email management. Spend the time to master the essentials of email. Once the habit is established your small business will be email savvy. Source: About.com