Remember that thing you did when you first started your business? You know, that big detailed document that mapped out all the plans you had for your fledgling enterprise? Here’s a question for you…when’s the last time you looked at it?

When you work for yourself, you don’t have the huge marketing budget that a larger more established company has. Most of the time your advertising and marketing is accomplished through the in-person interactions and conversations you have while you’re out and about. Your response to the question, “So, what do you do?” is your chance to leave a lasting impression, to initiate a more in-depth conversation, and to establish some sort of rapport with the person asking. In some respects, it’s...

Have you ever heard someone use the term ‘good on paper’? As in, “Well, he looks good on paper, but how is he in real life”? It’s a term that’s often used to describe the credentials of a person – usually a potential hire or business partner – based on the official records that represent them, like a resume, a job application, or a credit report. So how does this term relate to a small business?

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to see and work with a number of different businesses. What I’ve noticed is that most small businesses often hit a wall within the first 1-3 years of existence. They have a good product, paying customers, but for some reason can’t ever seem to move from being a surviving business, to being a thriving business. But the truth is, most of these businesses could readily move to the next level, just by fine-tuning some key areas of their operations. After...

I’ve spent most of my career working as a consultant. I started out over 10 years ago at one of the big 4 accounting and consulting firms. When I first started out, I worked almost exclusively with small to mid-sized, regional clients. Later on, my focus shifted mostly to large, multinational corporations. After having experienced both ends of the spectrum, I can honestly say that I much prefer working with smaller companies for 2 key reasons: 1. When I work with a smaller company, both my...

“You’re giving away too much.”   I had just finished telling a good friend and fellow business owner my plan for launching a site for small business owners. She loved the idea, but was apalled at the notion of my providing so much useful information without charging anything for it. “You shouldn’t give all that away. People would pay for that kind of information. If you don’t charge, they’ll just suck you dry.” “Maybe she’s right,”...