Many retailers experience a sales slump during after the holiday season. How do you respond? The slump comes as no surprise and most small-business owners know they just need to plan for it and ride it out. They think of it as time to work in the business and perhaps to grab a short vacation….
As you plan out conferences you want to attend this year, here’s a new rule to consider for after the event: The 2-to-1 rule: Schedule two days for implementation for every one day of the conference. (I heard that from Marc Pitman, who said he heard it from Elizabeth McCormick. ) Your implementation days…
Let’s start with Best Wishes for 2018. That wish was to be a part of my post last week. But as you may or may not have noticed, I didn’t get a post done. This is not the first time it has happened but those missed times were typically planned for some reason. Last week…
Too often, our planning starts from what we don’t have. We focus on what to improve, what we lack, what we messed up last year. My friend, educator Kristie Pretti-Frontczak suggested a strengths assessment instead. Here are her questions to kick off your thinking: What do you aspire to accomplish within the next year, within…
What plans are you making for your business? For many of us, the idea of developing a plan is just overwhelming, scary and something we often just don’t do. It sounds tedious and time-consuming, and is seen as something that’s useful only as a doorstop. Yet ask a business owner who takes the planning process…
There will be times in business when your income is zero. You might as well plan for that right now. For farmers, a wheat crop might be entirely hailed out, and they may lose the entire year’s income. They have to plan for that or it’s going to put them out of business. The…
Is 2015 the year you want to start your small business? If so, have you sat down to develop your business plan yet? Check out most how-to business guides and you will find a section on writing a business plan. Yet ask business owners and you often hear that they did a plan only because…
Today, you have unprecedented support available to help you build and improve your business and to survive any economic conditions. No matter how small a town or isolated an area you live in, internet access connects you to astounding resources. You can read advice from experts, including those in your own field. You can connect…
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