I knew where I was going in the big box office supplies store. I go there regularly, though not often enough that my face is known. When I got to the aisle I needed, I walked past two employees. They were deep in conversation. I quickly figured out that one was probably in training. As…
Lack of professionalism just cost a local business my patronage. If you are going to use your cell phone for business, and advertise that number as the way to reach you, remember professionalism. I heard ringback music instead of ringing. And the song? Toby Keith’s “Gonna Get My Drink On.” And it ain’t a liquor…
Common small business mistakes have become a regular series here. Today, a couple of examples of blaming the customer. I called the local paper to have an ad pulled. The gal said OK. But it ran again the next day. I called back. The response was, “You didn’t call soon enough yesterday.” But I knew…
Common small business mistakes have become a regular series here! This week, we’ve got another local example you can learn from. The pizza place is closed??! Tried to call for pizza the other day, but the phone just rang and rang. Not too unusual for them. I decided to run down and just pick up…
Many newly independent small business people make the mistake of giving away too much of their services for free. Many seasoned professionals run into the same issue, like Drew McLellan giving away the milk. I was at lunch with a peer and friend the other day, telling her a story about how a mutual acquaintance…
When you have a logo or design created, ask for and keep a high resolution copy of the original artwork. That’s the advice from small town sign maker Wayne LaMunyon. He says it’s the number one complaint of sign and banner makers everywhere. Small business owners get a logo or a business card with a…
Common mistakes can kill your small business, but most of them can be easily corrected or avoided. Today’s Bad Example: Bad LocationAll business depend on location to some extent. Even if your small business is just you, the location affects your work! More often, we think of retail and food businesses that depend on walk-in…
Common mistakes can kill your small business, but most of them can be easily corrected or avoided. Here are two more Twitter friends with examples of mistakes: phillymac Only one? How about 2. Bad customer service. Awful web presence. zemote Get suckered by a SEO/SEM person. We just talked about bad customer service, so let’s…
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