In the aftermath of two huge hurricanes and over 100 immense wildfires in the Western US, as a small business advocate, I can no longer be silent on an issue threatening small business owners—climate change. Climate change is real. It’s disastrous. It’s getting worse. And it’s a danger to small businesses, including yours. Although I was …
7 Sources of Small Biz Help After Harvey
It’s not surprising one of the many heroes emerging from the rescue efforts of Hurricane Harvey, Jim McIngvale of Houston’s Gallery Furniture, is a small business owner. After all, small businesses are the backbones of their communities, whether supporting local emergency relief, Little League, or the United Way. But where can small businesses hit by Hurricane …
What I Learned On My Office Manager’s Summer Vacation
A few weeks ago, the Office Manager of my small business went to Hawaii for two weeks. Good for her: sunshine, sandy beaches, mai tais. Not so good for me: answering phones, taking orders, shipping. Suddenly, for the first time in years, I was in charge of the day-to-day operations of my own small business. …
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Small Businesses: Avoid These 8 Mistakes Big Guys Make
If you’re a small business owner or consumer who’s ever dealt with a large corporation—and who hasn’t?—you’ve probably encountered policies, procedures, or attitudes that drive you crazy. You wonder how these big companies manage to stay in business, let alone keep customers. Well, they can afford to lose customers. You, as a small business owner, …
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#AmexWelcomed Rhonda Abrams & Paddington Station—Ashland, OR
“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 she could be a grown-up version of the clever, perky girl sleuth, solving one challenging dilemma after another. Throughout my many years …
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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 …
A Delicious Way to Savor Small Business
When you hear the term “small business,” the first image is not likely to be a small farm. But, in fact, small farms are small businesses. August 6-12 has been declared “National Farmers Market Week,” by the US Department of Agriculture, and if you want to help small American farmers survive, one of the most …
Love Food & Small Biz? There’s An App for That
Many small businesses involve food. The baker, the butcher, the coffeecake maker, and the farmer-in-the-dell are all likely to be small businesses. But as small businesses, most of these food-related companies have the same problem: how does their owner get the cash they need to buy supplies before they actually make sales? Now, there’s a …
One Easy Way to Grow Your Small Business
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” That old saying is as true today as it ever was. When you want to get ahead, it helps to know people. So a key business skill every small business owner needs to master is “networking”–how to get out in the world and make lots of …
