Every week, I open a Brag Basket, but it’s not really about bragging. It’s about sharing. It’s here so you can introduce yourself or share some good news. Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit….
We’re 15 days from 2010. It’s time to give your small business a jump start. That means planning, record keeping, and goal setting. I have four suggestions for you. 1. Draw up a Simplified Business Plan. I know you don’t want to do a big, five pound business plan, like you would do to apply…
Facebook ads may be one of the most underutilized forms of local advertising. No matter how small your town, I’ll bet you have locals present on Facebook. My home town of Alva, Oklahoma, has hundreds of Facebook users. And when you start thinking about how many people in your target area are online, you’ll realize…
“Business intelligence” means gathering the right information that can help you improve your business, or move up to a new level. If you have internet access today, you can gather a ton of amazing research, if you know the right sources to tap. So we’re starting a series on great sources for business intelligence for…
As more rural people join social networks, small town business people are looking to build in person networks with their fellow social media users. Chris Cornell shared his story in the Brag Basket: I own and operate a small business (custom picture framing) in the Village of Pleasantville, NY. I’ve been attempting to build…
Two events surprised me around professional networking site LinkedIn recently. First, a long time friend who shuns all online social interaction, joined LinkedIn and started connecting. He told me that he knew it was important if or when he looked for a new job. I was astounded that LinkedIn had enough potential benefit to draw…
Every week, I open a Brag Basket, so you can introduce yourself or share some good news. Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others’ stories brings us a bit closer to being…
Two new shop local ideas hit me this week. 1. Can you get your city utility on board? The City of Alva added this shop local message to their utility bills: Support your local merchants – Shop Alva for the Holidays Some cities and towns mail out larger bills in envelopes. They might even let…
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