Timely Questions for Every Small Business


To create and sustain a successful small business, it’s helpful to ask yourself some key questions. As you continue operating your business, those questions never stop. Here are some timely questions we’ve posed to get the ball rolling. What questions dominate your small business today?

Tax Questions

Are you getting all the deductions you can? As time ticks away for filing small business tax returns in the U.S., small businesses here should be sure you’ve considered all the possible deductions out there. Do you have a small business retirement plan? The Christian Science Monitor

Is your state’s tax policy good for you? No one state tax policy is best for all entrepreneurs. Still, if you’re trying to decide where you should launch you’re latest new venture, look for the tax structure that benefits you most. Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Growth Questions

How is your small business on job creation and innovation? Another reason to be proud to be a small business owner comes in the form of these stats from the U.S. and around the world. The impact of small business globally is huge! How does your business do in these areas? Forbes

How are your marketing efforts? Marketing drives sales and so essentially everything else in your small business. Here is a resource you might want to consider, if your company could use more happy customers. Marketing HQ

Marketing Questions

How service driven is your small business? You’ve probably heard that customer service can be a powerful form of marketing. So how service driven would you say, is your small business? Here are some tips to improve in that direction. Small Business Marketing Strategies

What role does email still play in your business? Some experts say it’s still a critical form of business communications, especially when it comes to promoting your small business. Are you using email to its greatest advantage? Small Business Trends

Operations Questions

What alternative funding options exist for your small business? In the seemingly never-ending series of options out there to fund your small business, here’s one that should never be forgotten. How can community ownership offer opportunities for entrepreneurs? Small Biz Survival

What social media channels are best? Social media may be a great way to get the message out about your business, but are all these channels created equal? What are the downsides to some possible social media offerings? Create Hype

Tool Questions

What innovative solutions are you employing. In this interview with Mike McGrath of Supply.ie, we see another great service that can ease the strain on small businesses when looking for the right supplier. What options are you using to give your business the edge. TweakYourBiz

Do you use virtual computers? These tools offer a way to boost the number of computers your company uses without as much cost by doing the processing on another server. Here’s why it might be an idea to explore for your business. SmallBiz Technology

4 Comments ▼
4 Reactions
  1. Thanks for this timely article. At the end of the first quarter I looked at all these issues and considered where I am now and where I was 3 months ago.

    You’ve presented more helpful information here.

    And since I work a lot with marketing for my clients, I can vouch for the fact that email marketing is, in fact, very important and that it needs to be done right.

    Thanks again.

  2. Great list of resources!

  3. Good update guys! I’ve got an afternoon’s reading again 🙂

  4. Great Questions. I was thinking another great question for small businesses is, “What am I doing to reduce cost and increase profit?” It kind of goes along with Tool Questions. I’ve found that the more organized a business is and the smoother things run, the more profit they make, the happier their customers are, and the more professional the business appears. All of which lead to increased profit. Lots of tools have been developed to help with things like financing, internet marketing, asset tracking, etc.