Are you an entrepreneur or a small-business owner? When one reads stories in the newspaper or journals, these two groups are not distinguished from each other typically. Neither the U.S. Small Business Administration nor the U.S. Census Bureau breaks them out separately. So does it make a difference? Or should the writings about building the…
Owning a business is often part of a person’s dream. The appeal of business ownership comes from a variety of reasons including independence, being the boss, money, and family time to name just a few. Yet there is a substantial gap between starting a business and still be running that business five years later. Statistics…
I am old enough to remember the line, “It’s a bird. It’s a plane” as part of the Superman comics and television show. But I haven’t had a reason to think much about this line until I recently got my car serviced. My dealer has moved into a new building. It’s nice. As you enter…
It may be that I grew up in a small town area, but mention “small-town service” to people and they will know what you are talking about. So when I saw the tagline on this business sign, I felt I understood how this business treated their customers. (You can read more about developing the 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,…
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…
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…
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