Tuesday 24 April 2012

An issue facing all small business owners - where to advertise your business

I know that half of advertising doesn't work, the problem is I don't know which half - As a small business owner does this quote ( paraphrased) by retailing tycoon John Wanamaker, resonate with you? Do you want to know where to advertise your business? Knowing how, what & who to advertise with was bad enough when the options where limited.

[caption id="attachment_1081" align="alignright" width="128" caption="where are you going to place your advertising dollar?"][/caption]

Not

An issue facing all small business owners - where to advertise your business - there are far too many choices of where to spend our advertising dollar

Monday 23 April 2012

Planning to start up a business - try the business model canvas

Are you in the process planning to start up a business or are you wanting ideas to grow your business to the next level. While some businesses start up and grow organically without a formal business blueprint or strategy, most start up business owners have a spent many hours constructing a business plan. So, if you are wanting to know where and how to start planning to start up a business the business model canvas may be for you. What is does is to force you to think about you business

Planning to start up or grow a business - try the business model canvas

Saturday 21 April 2012

Don't let it get you down, learn from mistakes made in business

Great entrepreneurs are good at failing. That's what caught my attention in an article by Rhonda Abrams in USA today. Don't let it get you down, learn from mistakes made in business. After all we all make them! And that is what I call success, taking those failures, turning them around and applying those lessons to move forward. Rhonda covers Fail Forward, Fail Fast, Fail Smart, Fail Cheap, Fail with Integrity.

To read Rhonda's post in full

Don't let it get you down, learn from mistakes made in business

Thursday 19 April 2012

Is cash flow management a problem? perhaps accepting prepayments could be an option

Is cash flow management a problem for your small business? Having enough cash to pay suppliers when due is a common issue, especially in times of

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="alignright" width="128" caption="a cash flow management a problem"][/caption]

growth when you could be building up inventories. In her article No substitute for cash in the till, Dianne Buckner shares one company's success with accepting prepayments as part of their business model and strategy for cash

Is cash flow management a problem? prepayments could be an option

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Good Customer Service Skills - it will mean sales

If you are an on-line business or bricks and mortar store, good customer service skills can mean all the difference when closing a

[caption id="attachment_803" align="alignright" width="150" caption="good customer service skills"][/caption]

sale.

Building a good rapport with customers can also mean that they will be back! I came across a great reminder of good customer service skillsin an article written by Lisa Marie as a guest post on GrowWithStacey.com. Lisa Marie shares 5

Good Customer Service Skills - it will mean sales

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Twitter Tips for business from an expert

Sorry to say Twitter still confuses me. I don't see would people be interested in short messages, but anyway they

[caption id="attachment_1020" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Twitter tips from an expert"][/caption]

are and I have to catch up. So if you are like me and want to know more here's a couple of places to start.

These twitter tips for business from an expert, Steve Strauss, who has 10,000 followers is worth listening too. Also below the article link is

Twitter Tips for business from an expert

Friday 13 April 2012

Tips for making big bucks from selling your business

The word is out Facebook has paid a BILLION for the purchase of Instagram, and this is not the first company to be brought out by the

[caption id="attachment_971" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Tips to get your business acquired by big business"][/caption]

big boys. So how do you follow on from Instagrams success and set up your business to do the same. What are the tips for making big bucks from selling you business? I came across this informative article, written by Ronda

Read more ...

Does your small business need a mobile friendly website?

Does your small business need a mobile friendly website? You are probably aware of the issues faced by

[caption id="attachment_956" align="alignright" width="128" caption="Could your website on a mobile device be deterring customers?"][/caption]

iphone and smartphone users. How having to scroll and pinch the screen to try and read the website just causes frustration for what could be an important part of your customer base. But are you aware of how big the numbers actually are? How much

Does your small business need a mobile friendly website?

Thursday 12 April 2012

Employee Retention Strategies in Small Business

Employees are one of a businesses greatest assets, so it makes sense to do all we can to retain them. As far as employee retention

[caption id="attachment_948" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Retaining employees is key for small businesses"][/caption]

strategies are concerned most commentators agree that remuneration alone is not the sole motivator of keeping employees, there are also the non monetary aspects such as the culture of the business and showing appreciation for a job

Employee Retention Strategies in Small Business

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Tips for good small business web design

I've come across a great article on tips for good small business web design. Written by Craig Reardon from Smart Company there 6 are factors to consider when developing, or having someone develop for you, your small business website. And why are these tips for good small business web design important? Here's Craig's view:
It’s a well-known fact that smaller businesses are far more susceptible to costs arising from poor web design than their

[caption id="attachment_930"

tips for good small business web design

Friday 6 April 2012

How to grow your business into a market leader - personal motivation from a master

This is 8 minutes that may change your business life. If you are wanting to know how to grow your business into a market leader, you must start with the basics, build a solid foundation and, sorry to say, getting policies and procedures in place. Sounding too corporate? don't worry, you can put your own spin on it. This short video featuring Michael Gerber, the author of E-Myth Mastery and others, although recorded in 2009 will never date. Check it out, that is if you have the vision and

How to grow your business into a market leader - video - personal motivation from Michael Gerber

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Advertising on twitter, but will it be effective?

The word is out, it's in beta, it will soon be available, advertising on twitter, but will it

[caption id="attachment_880" align="alignright" width="128" caption="The next big thing? Advertising on Twitter"][/caption]

be effective? Will Small Business owners be flocking to the Twitter equivalent of paying for clicks? Anthonia Akitunde in the article 'What Twitter sees in small business' offers this opinion:
smaller firms are likely to be much more aware of the bottom line. "The ultimate

Advertising on twitter, but will it be effective?

Monday 2 April 2012

Increase Customer Loyalty and Retention and Increase your Bottom Line

It sounds easy doesn't it, increase customer loyalty and retention and increase your bottom line. How does the bottom line increase? Well selling to returning customers

[caption id="attachment_866" align="alignright" width="128" caption="With customer loyalty, the bottom line goes up!"][/caption]

costs less, they know your brand, your products, your service, and I have noted from experience that they can make decisions quicker, requiring less salesperson time. And people love to talk,

increase customer loyalty and retention and increase your bottom line