Small Business Saturday has come and gone. What worked? What did you do? And what do you wish you would have done? Now is the time to answer those questions. Yes, I know that for many of you it is also the holiday shopping season and you have just run the gauntlet of getting the…
What event will we celebrate on Nov. 25th? Pat yourself on the back if you said “Small Business Saturday.” No, there isn’t any cake (well, there could be) and no one is getting any presents (at least not on that day, although we hope lots of them are purchased from your local businesses that day)….
Innovation for the sake of innovation might not be the answer to building your business. And yet today as we scan the business world, it would seem that the opposite is true – innovate or disappear. So what’s the truth? The truth about successful innovation is “it depends.” And it depends on your current customer…
Successful small businesses depend on customers who return. Such customers form your core audience. They buy regularly and as research notes, they buy more than the more casual customer or the one-time customer. Yes, their regular purchase may be less but, over time, they are your stars. Second, your returning customers are most likely be…
At some point, you will need the support and expertise of an attorney as you operate your small business. Often, though, owners delay adding that member to your business team. The thought is that you, the owner, will know when you need such help. But that line of thought has two major issues. First, you…
Want to have a successful small business? Then build your network. Comments like this are not uncommon. Good networking is one factor in building a successful, sustainable small-business. Both anecdotal information and research supports such claims. We have written about it previously in this blog when discussing “Networking for Business Success.” Most articles, like this…
I am not a regular television watcher but happened to catch a “60 Minutes” episode recently (http://tinyurl.com/60Minutes-socialmedia). The episode focused on how influencers are marketing using social media. Although I follow and use several social media platforms to help reach small-business owners, most of this information was new to me. But it was not surprising….
Help? I am swamped. So get an ad in the paper and get some employees, right? Sorry, this isn’t the time. When you are overwhelmed is not the time you want to hire someone for several reasons. First and foremost, you will rush the process. Steps will be skipped such as reference checking. Second, you…
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