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 …
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 …
How to Launch a Small Business Product Now
If you’re a small business owner, how do you launch a new product in a Covid-dominated world? A world where most customers are sitting behind their screens instead of going into stores? That’s the challenge I’m facing right now, as I and my team launch our newest book, The Sh*t’s Hit the Fan: Now What?! …
These 8 Celebrities Are Also Entrepreneurs
What do Oprah, George Clooney, and Selena Gomez have in common? Yes, of course they’re celebrities, but they’re also entrepreneurs. If you dream of one day starting your own small business, and you look to celebrities for motivation, you’ve got a whole bunch of celebrities . Of course, celebrities—once they are celebrities—have an easier time …
A Small Biz Halloween Quiz
Halloween is just around the corner, so I’ve got a “Trick or Treat” Small Business Quiz. When do you know whether something in your small business is a “Treat”—a real opportunity—or a “Trick”—a problem disguised as a chance to grow? Are these tricks or treats for your small business? (Answers below) Your top performing salesperson …
Hey Small Businesses: Do You Know Where Your Customers Are?
You’ve got 20,000 followers for your small business on Facebook. You sell hundreds of products a month on Amazon. Your restaurant increased its sales by linking up with an online food delivery service. This all seems good, right? Not so fast. Who owns your customers? That’s a critical question for you to answer if you …
Hey Small Businesses: Do You Know Where Your Customers Are?Read More
7 Tips to Make You an Instagram Star
Get out your pink paint. Or your coral, or yellow, or teal. By the time you finish reading this column, you’re going to be painting one wall…
Instagram Updates for Small Biz
Two years ago, I wrote a column on how small businesses could best use Instagram to grow their businesses. Geez, does that seem a long time ago now. Social media changes faster than Beyoncé changes outfits. There’s a lot you need to catch up on if you want to take advantage of the benefits of …
