How you spend your time tells everyone what is important to you. When you are your own boss, and maybe even the only one in the company, no one tells you when to or how to focus on the most important things. Focus is a do-it-yourself project. You need some “locked door,no interruption” time to…
By Glenn Muske Rural and Agribusiness Enterprise Development SpecialistNorth Dakota State University Extension Service – Center for Community Vitality A lot of people want to start a business with the next great idea. Practically the entire population of nascent entrepreneurs falls into one of two categories: those who think they have the next great idea,…
Saw this in Norfolk County in Ontario last week, and thought you could use it, too. It’s a series of profiles of local farmers and food producers. They worked with local talent to get terrific photos and words. They also have a dedicated site for it, at NorfolkFarms.com. Once you create quality content one time, you…
As business owners, we’re bombed by marketing advice. Friends are eager to tell us what we “should” be doing. Articles are full of marketing advice we are “supposed” to follow. We know we have to do what “everyone else” is doing. So we set up blogs, but don’t post on them. We create social media…
The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one Jan 25-27, 2013. What good news will you add to the brag basket? In honor of my first speakingappearance in Canada, Ifound this Canadian basket.Photo (cc) by veggiefrog Don’t hold back because of that word, “brag.” When…
To help you get a better handle on your business, I put together a webinar in cooperation with Cory Miller’s Entrepreneurship Lab, called 4 Ways to JumpStart Your Business. We managed to make business planning just a little less stodgy than the usual 5 pound binder. The recording is now available to everyone, so I’m…
Let’s think creatively about how we do good in our communities. I just ran across my notes from 2011, when I heard Alon Nir (@TheKotel) explain his project, Tweet Your Prayers. He called his talk “The Anti-Startup,” and he proceeded to tell us how he ignored all the “rules” of business to make a difference. Alon…
Watching people discuss using social media/social networks for marketing, I think there is a division that isn’t being talked about. The idea of “social media marketing” is used to mean two completely different approaches to the market. This matters in business and in tourism, because your approach determines whose advice you should listen to, what…
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