A few weeks ago, a potential large client made a reasonable, but nerve-wracking, request, “Can you send me a proposal?” It’s not unusual—in many small businesses, creating proposals are a critical part of the sales process. Whether you’re bidding to build a company’s new website or a homeowner’s new deck, your proposal plays a large …
Follow Your Heart and Make Money Too
February is the month for Valentine’s Day, and all around, you’ll see hearts and flowers. But when it comes to starting and growing your small business, have you followed your own heart? Small business owners are notorious for sabotaging their own companies when they fall out of love with what they’re doing. Once you lose …
Monkey Brings Success to Small Business
Hold on tight: here comes the year of the monkey. And it should be a great, if tumultuous, year for small business owners and entrepreneurs. If you’re just starting a business, it portends to be a particularly auspicious year for launching new ventures. February 8 marks the beginning of the Chinese, or lunar, new year. …
Commit Yourself to the Turn
It’s not typical to get small business guidance on a ski slope, but one of the most useful pieces of advice I ever got came when I first learned to ski many years ago: “Commit yourself to the turn.” Whenever you want to go in a new direction—in skiing or small business—you have to follow …
10 Rules for Small Business Success
For over 25 years, I’ve helped small business owners start, run, and grow their companies. I’ve worked with all sizes of businesses: from one-person micro-businesses to companies with hundreds of millions in revenue. I’ve consulted with companies in all kinds of industries. Some served consumers; some served other businesses. There were start-ups and long-established entities. …
Seizing Opportunities
Most small business owners want to grow their companies, but when it comes to taking action to succeed, many remind me of the man in this joke: A huge flood threatened a town, forcing everyone to evacuate. Joe stays put, thinking, “I’m a devout man; God will save me.” The waters rise. Joe’s neighbor comes …
The Biggest Small Business Day of the Year
The most important day of the year for small business is only a few weeks away. Is your business ready? In just six short years since it was first observed, “Small Business Saturday” has become a sales powerhouse, driving traffic to local and small businesses during the all-important holiday season. It’s now an American institution, …
Entrepreneurs Rebuild New Orleans
Ten years ago, the world watched as New Orleans nearly drowned. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina smashed into the Gulf Coast, levees failed, and 80% of this unique city was left underwater, devastated. It’s been a tough decade for the Big Easy, but helping lead its rebirth has been a vibrant, growing, and enthusiastic …
Get More Hours In Your Small Business Day
“I need more hours in the day!” That’s the lament of every small business owner. We all have so much to do, there never seems to be enough time to complete it all. Small business owners value their time. Like Jeff & Joy Schranghamer, owners of Schranghamer Design Group (SDG) in Boston, Massachusetts. I have …
