If you are a small-business owner, your marketing effort typically takes one of two paths: You do what you always have done or you try a variety of things but question what, if anything, is making a difference. Understanding what makes an effective marketing plan is not easy. And then the development and implementation of…
Here’s an idea from Milwaukee that any small town or rural region could copy: Downtown Dining Week. Downtown restaurants are offering a special rate, lunch for $10, and dinner for $20 or $30. That keeps it simple. My town of about 5,000 people has a downtown sandwich shop, a lunch counter at the drug store, and…
We walk and drive by small businesses every day. We go in their doors, make purchases and continue on our way without another thought. We depend on small businesses. They fill our need for products and services, and we expect them to be open on a regular basis to meet our needs (and sometimes we…
Two free tax webinars from the IRS may help you take what you know about your business and avoid mistakes. Are you taking all the deductions you’re entitled to? Do you know what business tax credits you can take? Topic: Small Business Owners: Get All the Tax Benefits You Deserve Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 Time: 11:00 a.m. (Pacific); Noon (Mountain); 1:00…
Two special weeks honoring small business are coming up: Small Business Week and Independents Week. Both are basically U.S. celebrations. Either one could be a good tie-in for your small town business. (If you know of special small business celebrations in other countries, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.) June 17-21, 2013, will be…
When I spoke to small business owners in Ponca City recently, one audience member asked about offering coupons and discounts. So we talked about her business (basically, a franchised frozen yogurt parlor), and how they’ve gotten started with coupons and discounts, so now people seem to expect them. I made up these two rules for…
Hiring the first employee is a huge step for a small business. If your small business has reached the point where you need help because the assistance of family and friends no longer covers the gaps, you may have reached the point where you need bring paid staff on board. (A previous Small Biz Survival…
Last week, I had the chance to tour two agri-tourism operations near my hometown of Alva, Oklahoma. Here are their stories. Bradt’s Menagerie Jerad and JoDe Bradt wanted to get their kids out of video games and more into the real world. Jerad suggested they try raising chickens. JoDe had raised chicks when she was…
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