Ask yourself: Who are your regular customers? What do they buy and why do they keep coming back? Who are the customers you no longer see? Why aren’t they returning? Why is it important that you can answer these two questions? It’s simple. Regular customers form the base of your business. And customers who have…
Earthquakes in Alaska. Fires in California. Tornadoes in the Mid-west. Floods on the eastern seaboard and the Gulf coast. Water pipes break in your computer room. Your freezers break down. The electricity goes out for an extended period. A key player in your business dies. Someone hacks your data. Big disasters and small disasters. Your…
Eureka!! You have found a great business idea and can’t wait to get started. Enthusiasm is great but you need to do a couple of things before opening the doors. You are about to invest money and time. Taking time up-front will help ensure that your investment pays off. One such up-front task is to…
For many prospective business owners, finding the business idea is the most difficult task. Theses individuals may have the desire to “be their own boss” but do not know what business will be successful. Some individual have an area of interest but cannot see how it can be turned into a business. For example, an interest…
Does your networking add power to your small business? Does it help set you apart from your competitors? Does it increase your visibility? Does it add to your bottom line? If you answered yes to each question, congratulations. If not, could it? Effective networking can: let people know you are in business keep customers aware…
I am sure we all have been asked, “Do you want the meal deal?” And it doesn’t stop there. Deals surround us. Go for a simple oil change and you might be presented with a package deal that includes a new air filter, tire rotation, and more. Buy a car and get offered an extended…
Starting a business is a dream for many individuals. The idea of using one’s own creativity and controlling your own time sounds so attractive. Yet often the prospective business owner spends little time considering the financial perspectives of business ownership. The owner must understand how much startup capital is needed and where it might come…
Lots of advice is available for anyone interested in starting a business. But some of the claims are too good to be true, so you need to gather information from a number of reputable sources and sort out the myths from the realities before deciding whether starting a business is the right decision. One of…
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