I’ve created a major new product for my small business, and, after more than two years of hard work and investment, it’s almost ready to launch. I’m not quite ready to tell you what it is. But I can tell you that a few years ago, I took a good, hard look at my small …
What the Year of the Dog Holds for Your Small Business
Gung Hay Fat Choy. That’s the traditional greeting for Chinese New Year—which began on Friday, February 16 with celebrations continuing for two weeks. What does the Chinese New Year mean for your small business? In the Chinese—or Lunar—calendar, each year corresponds with one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. According to legend, the …
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Small Biz Lessons from Ice Skating
The Winter Olympics are here, and figure skating is always one of the most popular sports of the games. I know I’m always enthralled watching how athleticism and artistry are combined. When I was just starting my small business, I was an enthusiastic, though not very good, ice skater, and I found there were many …
Small Biz Trends for 2018
You don’t have to be “trendy” to take advantage of emerging trends to help your business grow. Smart small business owners know they need to keep up with social and technological changes to succeed and survive over time. Which trends can your small business benefit from in 2018? Local. The term “local” is hot. Consumers …
Valentine’s Day is for Small Biz Too
It’s nearly Valentine’s Day—so it’s time to show your small business customers some love. In today’s #MeToo and #TimesUp climate, that doesn’t mean doing anything your grandmother would be ashamed of you for. And it doesn’t (necessarily) mean sending customers a box of chocolates or Valentine’s Day cards. No, it means insuring your customers know …
8 Not-So-Sexy Tasks for Small Business
You love your small business, right? Your friends envy you. After all, every day, you get to do something you love, work with people you’ve chosen, set your own hours. It’s paradise, correct? C’mon, you and I both know the truth—running a small business also means dealing with a whole bunch of not-so-sexy stuff. Here’s …
What Main Street Can Learn from Wall Street
If you think your small business should only be focused on profits, think again. The world is changing: customers, employees, communities increasingly expect companies to serve a social good, not just make money. It’s time to start thinking not of just one bottom line, but of a “triple bottom line.” Perhaps no better proof of …
Don’t Nickel-and-Dime Your Small Business Customers
When I started my first small business, my lawyer gave me some memorable advice. “Rhonda,” he counseled, “I’ve never had a client dispute a bill for professional services. People willingly pay thousands of dollars in hourly fees without complaint, but if I bill them $2 in mailing charges, they’ll get upset. It’s small items that …
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7 Can’t-Miss Rules for Small Biz Growth
Ask virtually any small business owner what they want for their company, and the answer is likely to be “more customers, more money, more business.” In other words, they want their business to grow. But how do you get your small business to grow? Like many small business owners, in the beginning of my own …
