There are lots of ways to market your small business, personal contacts, business cards, advertising, social media, or storytelling just to name a few. All of these and much more are done to create awareness, bring customers in the door and build your brand. One element of that effort needs to be your tagline. A tagline…
A common question I get asked is, “What small business should I start?” My typical answer is: “Think about starting a business around something that sparks your passion.” I have a valid reason for giving that answer. The small business you start will take an incredible amount of time. Plus, as you build the business,…
I spent a couple of days last month touring Lake Arrowhead, California, meeting merchants and retailers, talking to residents, and holding a work session with the board of the Village Merchants Association. They have a ton of natural assets, great ideas, but have trouble getting the merchants to come together toward common goals. They’ve…
What stands in your way of moving forward? Whether you are someone who would like to get into business or already are in business and would like to move forward, we often find some reason why we just can’t make it happen. Here are some common issues that may be a roadblock for you along…
Do you ever look at the news and ask yourself how what you see might impact your business? If you are like me, the chances are you don’t do a great deal of this. Yes, we watch the news and may read the paper, a magazine and maybe a trade journal. Plus, we may spend…
My friend Mark Riffey is from the small town of Columbia Falls, Montana. He normally writes about marketing, and he offers excellent advice. But last week, something different popped up. He wrote to his hometown folks to address the loss of an important local employer. I know many of you can relate to this…
Your customers are your business. Connecting with them means success or failure. How well does your business do in terms of connecting? You won’t find many answers in this column, but you will find lots of questions you need to think about. How do you connect with your customers? I suspect many of you have…
One of the limits we deal with as small town businesses is our suppliers. Rural retail businesses depend on wholesale suppliers for inventory, manufacturers need raw materials and restaurants need food to cook. Then we all have basics, like cash register tape, circuit breakers, and those 8′ long light bulbs you can’t seem to…
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