Yikes! The trade show you’ve signed up to exhibit at is only a week away, and you’re not sure you’re completely ready. Don’t panic. I’m here to help. I’ve teamed up with Staples to help make sure your trade show is a success, no matter how soon it’s coming. What’s a success? You build brand …
Cracking the Mystery of Retailer Success
“Sometimes, I feel like I’m in a Nancy Drew mystery. I just wish I had her little roadster.” Pam Hammond—owner of Paddington Station, the “eclectic emporium” in Ashland Oregon—certainly seems like a grown-up version of the clever, perky girl sleuth, faced with one challenging dilemma after another. Today’s biggest mystery for small business owners like …
Time to Get Ready for Small Business Saturday
It’s not yet Halloween, but for many small businesses, planning for the holiday season has started in full force. If you own a small business, it’s time to start getting ready for one of the most important days of the year: Small Business Saturday. In all my years working with and writing about small businesses, …
10 Sure-Fire Self-Promotion Tips for Women Small Biz Owners
October is National Women’s Small Business Month, and as a gift to themselves, I want female small business owners and entrepreneurs to give themselves a gift: greater confidence. I want you to give yourself more credit for your accomplishments and learn a critical business skill. I want you to learn how to toot your own …
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The Best Little Grocery Store in Silicon Valley
At only 24 years of age, newly out of college, Nick Sharma became the owner of a failing small grocery store in the upscale Silicon Valley town of Menlo Park, California. In 11 years, Nick transformed a dusty, tired store into a popular destination for both tech millionaires and neighborhood kids. And he’s landed customers …
Small Businesses for Millennials
Millennials: it’s time to start a small business. You know you want to be your own boss, and there’s lots of great small business ideas out there. Millennials—those born between 1982 and 2000’s (according to the US Census Bureau)—have good reason to consider striking out on their own and launching a business. Why? Because many …
Millennials Aren’t as Lazy as You Thought
Millennials–Americans born between 1980 and 2000–may be the most entrepreneurial generation ever. A new study shows Millennials have more experience with small business and greater desire to start businesses than previous generations. But the study also demonstrates a continuing need for help for entrepreneurs if they’ll create the jobs America needs. The study, released May …
Is Travel Good for Small Business?
We’re just one week away from Memorial Day–the semi-official start of the summer season. For most employees, that means it’s time to use up some of those vacation days they’ve accumulated. But if you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur, no one gives you vacation pay. So you may think of summer as the time …
9 Small Business Facts to Knock Your Socks Off
It’s Small Business Week in America, time for the country to recognize the many contributions small businesses make to our economy, our communities, and our fellow Americans. Now, if you own a small business–especially if you work from home or have just a handful of employees–acquaintances might not give you much respect. When I started …