My Friends Helped Me Make My PurchaseBusinesses beware!  Gone are the days of the slightly dazed consumers standing at your product counter asking for your help and advice on a product.  Today they know about your products, and most likely you, before they ever enter your store. They are using a wide variety of online mediums to help them make their buying decisions. Social networking better be changing the way you do business, or it will change your business!Here is my story.&... Read Full Story

It's Christmas Retail SeasonFor many small retail businesses, the Christmas season provides the much-needed opportunity for increased sales and wider margins.  It’s common for those precious few weeks to represent 30% or more of the year’s revenues. How can small businesses capitalize on this festive and potentially lucrative season?Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind as you build your seasonal strategy:1.  Plan AheadDon’t’ wait until November to ... Read Full Story

Friday Afternoon and Time to Cut the Payroll ChecksIt’s Friday and you’ve got a pile of bills in the office, 3 employees waiting for their paychecks and leaking tiles in the main warehouse.  Small business challenges are tough, and if you’re waiting for payment from a major customer account, lack of cash flow can put a stranglehold on your optimism and leave you gasping by Friday at 4 pm.Banks. Buds, and blessed family many not have the answers you need.  In this e... Read Full Story

Everyone Wants to be a GOOGLE Star!When it comes to websites, search engines and optimizing your presence on the internet (SEO, Search Marketing), small business owners need to insure they have good page ranks. Page ranking in Google or other Search engines like BING or YAHOO! involve several components, and links from other websites to yours is a key element. Here is the link to a great list of DO NOT DO when it comes to acquiring links.Links are important and it’s worth your time to... Read Full Story

If someone has it in their heart to do what they love, and they are READY to take the consequences for that decision, (perhaps less pay, less glamour, hard work, sacrifice etc.) amazing doors will open.Here are a few examples:Nicole Lander loved outdoor combat. Today she owns Battlefield Sports and recently won the Nokia Business Innovation Award at the 2009 TelstraQueensland Business Women's Awards. Judges referred to her business idea as “revolutionary” and her testimony inspiri... Read Full Story

Business InnovationInnovation is the process that follows creative thought.  Although I love to teach creative thinking in the workplace, I am continually faced with the proverbial issue: Ideas are all dressed up with nowhere to go.In our Friday Business of the Week Awards and our Innovative Business Leaders articles, we will continue to offer stories, examples, problem solving, inspiration and frank talk about the need for and process to enable creative thought and innovative strategies... Read Full Story

Small Business of the Week AwardThis weeks’ prestigious award goes to: Vancore Plastic Packaging.Every successful business has a unique selling proposition: something that sets them apart from their competitors and gives consumers a reason to buy from them.Rarely would I term HONESTY as a USP, but Vancore Plastic Packaging has taught me a lesson.Owned by two new entrepreneurs, Cheryl Marshall and Abbas Rehmanji, Vancore tells the true story about plastic and the damage it can do to our ... Read Full Story

With all the economic news, pressures, choices, decisions, problems, hassles, responsibilities, and woes in your own small business, who has time to pick up the phone and give someone else a shot in the arm?Can you make the time to give some laughter and encouragement to some other business owner, who like yourself, is doing everything they know to “make the thing work”?Today’s lesson is simple: Do unto others what you wish they would do for you!  You will surprise your... Read Full Story

Jay Goltz, in his recent business blog at the New York Times, wrote about Six Ways To Deal With Small Business Stress.  He suggests that the entrepreneur must first identify what is the true cause of the stress. In my experience, this is often a significant stumbling block for those trying to build and maintain their business.  The cause of stress may be significantly different from the triggers of the stress.For example this last Christmas, the straw broke the camels back, and afte... Read Full Story

Google Alerts - A No Cost Way To Monitor Your BrandWith all the sophisticated strategies you can implement to optimize your website for search engines, one of the simplest techniques and certainly the cheapest, (as in free), would be the Google Alert system.Companies the size of Rogers or celebrities the likes of Brad Pitt, or YOU, can know instantly when your brand, your business name or your personal name has been searched. You can target the names of your products and see when they are se... Read Full Story