Are you looking for new product ideas for your business? Have you asked your customers? First rule of product ideas: The people in field doing the work always come up with the best ideas. Lisle Corporation (Clarinda, Iowa, population 5,500) makes, among other things, automotive specialty tools. You know, the funny hand tools mechanics use for all…
It’s hard to ask for help, isn’t it? We hate to admit we need help. It hurts our pride. We hate to let go of our independence and control. All of that is scary. If it’s hard for you to ask for help, imagine how hard it is for your customers. That makes it your…
The beginning of the year is a good time to protect all your important business data before something changes and you lose it. Here are five places you’ve probably forgotten to look to backup that data. 1. Save PDF versions of year-end accounting reports Accounting systems change, and data can be lost. In over 20…
Every business, no matter how small your town is, has to compete with someone. What advantage will you play up to your customers? Red’s, a barbecue place in my hometown, is promoting its location. See, 14 miles away in another tiny town is a terrific barbecue place. So Red’s is basically saying, “don’t make the…
I’m weird. I love planning. I even like business planning, figuring out how to best present my business and fit it into the requirements and structure. Not everyone likes doing this. You, for example. You probably don’t like planning. You aren’t alone. I do love planning. I’m weird. And, I planned for this possibility, so…
Picking the right niche for your business is a large task. I hear from many small business people who have several different targets, but can’t pick one to be their niche. This seems to be especially true for freelancers, consultants, and other independent business folks. Time to pick a direction. If you have trouble deciding…
Last week, we talked about the small town style to social media. Our small town style sets us apart online, because we are closer to our customers, we are natural community builders, and we care about our people. If you use that style, it applies no matter what tools you use. This week, we’re talking…
Small town businesses need social media, despite a few claims to the contrary. Almost every small town business can benefit from a smart, customer-focused and community-serving approach online. Why? Because local customers are actively using social networks like Facebook. Because visitors to town are using their smart phones and tablets to access the internet from…
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