Guest post by Rob Hatch Chris Brogan recently shared a story of a local bookstore in his hometown. He asked them to order a specific book for him that wasn’t in stock. The owner wrote down his name and phone number and told him she’d order it. The next week, when he walked in the […]
Crowdsourced ideas for coffee shops and other third places
At the Main Street Now conference, I sat in on a session about coffee shops. I wrote down bunches of ideas that the audience shared. I thought you might know a coffee shop person, or you might think of ways to use these with other types of small town businesses. Hold trivia nights or […]
Regular Customers Form Your Base
Ask yourself: Who are your regular customers? What do they buy and why do they keep coming back? Who are the customers you no longer see? Why aren’t they returning? Why is it important that you can answer these two questions? It’s simple. Regular customers form the base of your business. And customers who have […]
Disasters: Is Your Small Business Ready?
Earthquakes in Alaska. Fires in California. Tornadoes in the Mid-west. Floods on the eastern seaboard and the Gulf coast. Water pipes break in your computer room. Your freezers break down. The electricity goes out for an extended period. A key player in your business dies. Someone hacks your data. Big disasters and small disasters. Your […]
