If I have one message to send to small businesses about preparing for the holidays in 2021, it’s don’t wait. I’m not just talking to you retailers—though you’re the ones I’m sending this message to the loudest. Small businesses in every industry need to think through how they’ll make the most of #Holidays2021. Every year, …
Unsexy Marketing That Works
Hiring a celebrity to be a social influencer. Product placement on a popular TV show. Podcasts. Blogs. There are lots of sexy, fun ways to market your small business. They’ll cost a lot of money. And they probably won’t work. The reality is that for most small businesses, the best types of marketing are unsexy—they’re …
Find and Keep Your Best Small Biz Workers
I saw a shocking statistic the other day—one-third of millennials plan to quit their job once the Covid pandemic is no longer an issue. Whoa—that’s a lot of workers who’ll be job-hunting. Some may be employees in your small business. How can you retain your best employees? And, as importantly, is this an opportunity for …
Surviving Amazon and Other Platforms
One of the great promises of the internet for small business was that it was going to eliminate the “middle man”—intermediaries between sellers and customers. Manufacturers could sell directly to end users instead of stores; retailers could stay in touch with customers frequently. All that is true—but what is also true is that the internet …
If You Want to Start a Small Business, Read This
America’s the place where if you dream of starting a business, you should be able to do so, right? If you have the skills and the money, you should be able to make your entrepreneurial dreams come true. But in many states, a former employer can keep you from starting your own business. Crazy, right? …
9 Ways Your Small Business Can Save on Gas
As Americans hit the road again, gas prices are soaring, and that’s hitting small businesses hard. Demand for gas hit its highest level since 1991, according to AAA, and gas prices have risen by a whopping 40% since the beginning of the year. And prices are going to continue to rise for the foreseeable future. …
Child Care Is a Small Business Issue
One of the most hotly debated aspects of President Joe Biden’s American Families Plan is the President’s proposal to improve the quality and affordability of childcare and preschool. Now, child care isn’t something that most people would consider a small business issue, and you’ve probably never thought about how child care affects your small business …
How to Stay in Front of your Small Biz Customers
I’m about to start something new—that’s also something pretty darn old for small businesses. I’m launching a new newsletter, and I think you should have a newsletter for your small business too. (If you’d like to sign up for my new newsletter, please go to http://www.RhondaAbrams.com.) I’m a big believer in newsletters for virtually all …
Small Restaurants Still Need Help
Recently, when visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico I stopped for lunch in the Palacio Café, a small restaurant near the main plaza. I was on what my friends called my “green chile chicken enchilada journey”—having fallen in love with New Mexico green chile. As I travel, I always try to check in with small business …
