In nearly every business book I read and from the lips of nearly every business guru I listen to is the premise that you have to grow your business. Grow, grow, grow -- think big -- and you'll feel successful. More products, more services, more revenue -- and you'll be happy. Bigger is better, right? Here's a secret that I'm going to start …
Can You Explain Your Target Audience in 15 Minutes?
I had a tough discussion with a client yesterday. She needs to hire a marketing manager, but would rather find a person who knows her narrowly niched target audience intimately and then teach them marketing skills. I suggested to her that she turn it around. It would be far easier to first find a marketing expert who had all the skills she needed …
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Checklist: Getting Ready for the New Year
It's the most wonderful time of the year...time to think about your business plans for next year. This is a great time of year to work on your business, as December is usually a slower time of year for most small businesses (except retailers, of course!). It's also the time of year that we personally pause and reflect on the past year and set …
Cleanup and Planning: Quarterly and Year-End Checklists
It's here -- the end of quarter and the end of the year! It's time to do some "good housekeeping" in preparation for the year-end of your business. At the end of the year, it’s important to both close-out the old year properly as well as plan for the new year. I recommend you start this process early so that there isn’t a last-minute rush to …
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The I Love Lucy Guide to Marketing
In the 1950s television show, Lucy has one overriding goal: to break into show biz and to get Ricky to put her in his nightclub act. The thousands of wacky and inventive ways she went about trying to achieve this goal is what made the TV show so hilarious. Here's what Lucy can teach you about marketing There are no silver bullets, no magical "one …
Why Small Businesses Fail (or Fail to Thrive and Grow)
Why do small businesses fail? Tammy set a path to discover why her small business wasn't thriving. Tammy, a skilled and gifted horticulturist, called me to discuss what she needed to know to start her own florist and landscaping business. She had been in the horticulture industry for 10 years and was incredibly skilled at working with …
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