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Inauguration is lesson in event leverage for small business
Yesterday we spent a lot time watching the Presidential Inauguration festivities in Washington D.C. on TV. And it suddenly occurred to us what a huge role innumerable types of businesses—scores of...
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Marketers offer fresh perspectives for small businesses
Many small business owners say that while digital marketing alternatives enable them to maintain a bigger presence and connect with customers relatively economically, they still find themselves a bit...
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‘Genius lunches’ a fun way to share fresh perspectives
So what are you and your employees doing over for lunch? Catching up on emails? Idly surfing the net? Frantically running personal errands? To all these, we say, Meh. We and a lot of others just...
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Small business optimists may need a dose of pessimism
For years you’ve probably been told by teachers, coaches and parents that optimism was one of the key ingredients to happiness and success. In fact, common wisdom has always been that optimistic people...
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Trends unfolding in 2013 could affect your business
What kinds of trends are unfolding that could have an impact on small businesses? We’ve been looking at informed predictions…prognosticators with specialized expertise…observations based on reality and...
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Small business tools: Here are some must-haves
If you’ve started or are running a small business, you are likely to have a natural curiosity, ‘can-do’ attitude and willingness to try anything. But, with the daily demands of business come a few...
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Girl Scout cookie ‘empire’ offers business lessons
It’s Girl Scout Week! As millions happily munch on their just-delivered Girl Scout cookies, what better time to examine—and celebrate—the business side of the Girl Scout cookie phenomenon. From a bake...
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Spas and salons help customers with ‘spring cleaning’
Just the hint of spring—the tentative warmth of the sun, the sign of an emerging crocus or daffodil, lingering daylight well into the evening—our thoughts naturally turn to spring cleaning. And not...
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How to know when the “price is right”
Too high? Too low? How do you really know whether your pricing strategy is just right? Is it possible that your sales can be cooking along fine—but in fact, you’re leaving revenue on the table OR...
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Small business habits to survive and thrive
Many small business owners will tell you that they had no idea what they were getting into when they launched their businesses! Some turned a hobby into a business. Others had a vision and made the...
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Putting a Face with a Name: Buyer Personas and Business
Have you ever picked up a popular fashion magazine such as Vogue and questioned who the audience is? Or could you tell which readers the magazine hoped to target? The answer is probably obvious –...
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Look around! Inspiration sources are hiding in plain sight.
What inspires you as a small business owner? By definition, you must be inspired—not every minute or every day or even every week—but often enough to help you re-frame problems, come up with new...
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Why aren’t you delegating more?
As any business owner will tell you, growing a small business is a rollercoaster of OJT, or on-the-job training. Facing an endless stream of new challenges, business owners are constantly figuring out...
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Want to be more productive? Learn to unplug.
Work harder, work longer, work smarter. Hire staff. Expand into new markets. These are just a handful of the things we can do to boost our businesses’ productivity. But there’s another, powerful...
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How to save money when looking for office space
Image courtesy of vorakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net If you’re in the market for new office space it can be an expensive time. However, there are a few places you can reasonably save money without...
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The power of lunch: Don’t make a habit of skipping it!
If you watch the hit show Mad Men, you know that in the 60s, lunch was an event. Bosses and employees alike left the office for lunch; there was eating and drinking and negotiating and new-business...
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How music and scents influence shopping behavior
Have you ever thought about “whiffs” and “riffs” for your business? Huh?! We’re talking about smells and music, which experts say can have a major impact on your customers’ shopping habits. SmartPlanet...
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Are you having fun? It’s a must for small business owners
There’s at least one guy who contends that you need to have fun to be successful. Actually, there are lots of people who agree with this. But this particular person, Ron Culberson, is a nationally...
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How do you talk to customers? First, understand and reach out
You can never ask the question enough: Are you doing enough to keep an ongoing dialogue going with your customers? And, are you talking to them in the most effective ways? For business owners, large...
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Get a jump on seasonal changes with fall business checklist
Like it or not, Sunday marked the first day of fall. As the summer business cycle comes to a close, we’re moving headlong into the typically busy fall business cycle, when the pace of everything seems...
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