Business cards hold an enduring fascination for me. Sifting through the thousands I’ve collected, I have a few ideas to make your business cards more effective. I’m not talking about the cool kid, all graphic-design-y, work of art, hunk of metal, whatever cards. I’m talking about business cards that work for business. If you go…
Are you afraid of buzz? What does that cost you? A local small business owner asked me to not share photos of her renovated historic building until after she has a grand opening. I was surprised. I mentioned that her renovation had been featured in a newspaper article, with photos! She said again, “don’t show…
Ben Power wrote some serious small business lessons in, “Are local tech shops a dying breed? If so, it’s our fault.” He’s talking specifically about computer sales and repair, especially in small towns, but he gives some lessons we can all stand to be reminded of. Here are few quotes: Answer your phone when it…
Doing business in a small town or rural area does have some differences from traditional business thinking. Aliza Sherman, famous entrepreneur and writer, asked me to do a joint post with her with tips for “really rural” businesses. Aliza currently does business in Alaska and is moving to a town of under 2000. She shares…
Back in January of 2006, I reminded you of the old bumper sticker joke: “Just one more oil boom, Lord. I promise I won’t piss this one away.” My question then was what will you do with this oil boom? We’re nearly three years further into this boom since I asked. Let me remind…
You are most valuable, not at the far edges of your skills, but at the intersections of your knowledge areas. For example, if you know travel and cooking, you are more valuable leading exclusive cultural trips featuring local cuisine, than simply leading “normal” trips. If you know both motorsports journalism (an intersection of its own)…
Common mistakes can kill your small business, but most of them can be easily corrected or avoided. Today’s bad example: mis-using your service providers. Dear Client: Saying, “I don’t like this,” is not feedback. Tell me WHY you don’t like it. I am a writer, not a mind reader. Love, Kristen –@KristenKing, via Twitter If…
The Two Week Perspective is a different way to view your schedule. I use Google Calendar. I like the weekly view, but when you’re on Thursday or Friday, mostly you see the past. So I changed to a Two Week view, and made that the default. Now I see more of what’s coming up. I’ve…
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