A couple of years ago John was laid off from his job working in the assembly plant for Ford Motor company. He'd been there 15 years and came to work on a Tuesday to find out he was being laid off. John had worked at some sort of job since he was nine. He had a paper route, then three. When he was … Read more about Small Business Advice: Make Your Business Mean Something
Small Business Success Advice: Quit
Have you ever considered quitting? Neither had I. But since hearing Seth Godin speak about his book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches you When to Quit (and When to Stick), last year it's constantly been on my mind. In The Dip, Seth suggests that all successful people know one thing before they … Read more about Small Business Success Advice: Quit
Are You Alone In Your Tower?
I've found a lot of business owners have one thing in common - they think they can do everything themselves. Feel that way? After all, you've built your business from the ground up. That didn't require much help, right? Sure, you may have gotten some marketing help or worked with a web designer. … Read more about Are You Alone In Your Tower?
Working Out The Bugs
Speaking of bugs...who's that guy up there in the corner? Well, that's me, of course. You finally get to see what I look like (without having to dig around my bio page). Well, I'm back. Yeah, I know it's been a while. But I've been pretty hard at work. You'll also notice that in my month-long … Read more about Working Out The Bugs
Small Business Positioning: What’s Your Market?
There are lots of keys to creating a successful business. Yet the one that I've found to be most important - and often most lacking in small businesses is positioning. There's lots of definitions of positioning because the term is often used along side branding. The definition that I gravitate to … Read more about Small Business Positioning: What’s Your Market?
Small Business SEO Resources: SEO Interviews
Get a vast amount of search engine optimization tips right from the source. DazzlinDonna over at SEO Scoop has done us all a great service. She's posted hundreds of SEO interviews with some of the top SEO bloggers, consultants and experts on the web. What's really cool is she continues to update … Read more about Small Business SEO Resources: SEO Interviews
The Ben Franklin Guide to Running a Business
Okay, I'm a bit of a quote hound. I love reading the concise wisdom of how others saw life. And few provide more interested quotes than Benjamin Franklin. If you remember, a few weeks back I wrote a post titled, What Benjamin Franklin Knew About Social Media. In it, I took a number of his quotes … Read more about The Ben Franklin Guide to Running a Business
Small Business Marketing Advice: Should You Use Subliminal Advertising?
A couple weeks ago I got into a nice, heated debate with a friend over how manipulated we are by media - specifically commercials. My friend's position was that you're manipulated only if you're 'weak of mind.' He believes that if you're aware that someone's trying to manipulate you with … Read more about Small Business Marketing Advice: Should You Use Subliminal Advertising?
Why Your House and Your Business Need A Solid Foundation
Many of the days I work with clients seem to have themes around them. Yesterday was no exception. The clients I advised yesterday were dealing with the same issues. While each of their businesses had some success, none had the foundation stabilize and sustain their growth. Having a solid … Read more about Why Your House and Your Business Need A Solid Foundation
Why Your Business Needs To Focus On Relationships More and On Money Less
Every business owner wants to make more money. Doesn't matter whether you sell products or pitch a service - you probably want more clients, customers, buyers, patrons, consumers, subscribers, users, etc. Doesn't matter what you call them - you'd like more. After all, doesn't more subscribers … Read more about Why Your Business Needs To Focus On Relationships More and On Money Less
Are The Right Customers Using Your Business?
I've seen this happen a number of times... You work real hard to position your business just right in your target market only to find that the people buying aren't in your target market. What do you do? Well, some businesses decide that should reposition their business to reach their intended … Read more about Are The Right Customers Using Your Business?
Do You Call Yourself A Blogger?
Why? Why not? I've been thinking about this a lot since David Armano talked about it at SOBCon last year. His basic point was that "blogging is a commodity. Anyone can do it. We are human beings with passions and interests that come out in our blogs—not the other way around. Stop calling … Read more about Do You Call Yourself A Blogger?
