Part of our Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration Nov 13-19, 2023. Guest post by Mike Humphrey, Japan Skiing has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I don’t know why my parents decided skiing would be our family sport. They were not avid skiers, and we didn’t live in a ski…
Of all the reasons why small-business owners start businesses, two are noted most often. They are a desire to be in control and having more time for family. Yet once in business, many owners indicate that neither goal has been achieved. By its nature, control should allow for deciding how much you want to work….
Does your business have a sustainable advantage? Having one or more sustainable advantages gives you an edge in the marketplace. Advantages can be developed in several ways. Perhaps the most commonly sought after advantage is price. However, a price advantage is rarely, if ever, sustainable. Another business will find a way to offer a lower…
Help? I am swamped. So get an ad in the paper and get some employees, right? Sorry, this isn’t the time. When you are overwhelmed is not the time you want to hire someone for several reasons. First and foremost, you will rush the process. Steps will be skipped such as reference checking. Second, you…
As you probably know, if you are going into business, the odds your business will be around in five years are not good. But they aren’t as bad as you may think, either. Approximately one-third of businesses close within two years. At the five-year mark, about one-half of all businesses have closed. We don’t approach…
You probably have heard the phrase, “follow the money.” The phrase became popular the book and movie, “All the President’s Men,” by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. These Washington Post reporters uncovered the details of the Watergate scandal, which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Today, this phrase remains valid for small-business owners…
People complain about your business. It’s true. It happens but most of the time you never hear about them. On average for every one complaint you do hear, there are 26 other complaints that people have. That’s a substantial number. And while many of the complaints are perhaps minor in nature, they are something that…
If you want to increase the sales of your product, you must get it in front of more people. While there are many ways to make that happen, a way used by many small businesses is an affiliate marketing program. It’s simple in the concept, one business agrees to carry another’s person’s products, usually on…
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