Small Business News: More Tips for Business Owners And Entrepreneurs


Owning, operating or starting a business is hard work. While you may think at first how exhilarating it is to be the boss (and it is), there are many challenges to meet as well. In fact, even though it comes with no specific job description, at least in the beginning, running a business may be the hardest job of all. Here are some tips with some links to resources we hope you find helpful on your journey…

Advice

Give it some passion. Though the post linked to here is specifically about pitching to investors, this should apply to just about anything you do in your small business. Are you passionate about your products, services and brand. Rest assured that others can tell and will respond accordingly. Open Forum

Go deep on the problem you solve. you might well ask yourself, just how much room for growth could there be for a company offering online short term home rental like Airbnb, but it’s clear in this interview that the group is still growing and evolving. But picking their niche market well and going very deep on the needs within the market, the company still has plenty of room to expand. Inc.com

Tools

Understand the technology. Even online tools like Google Display Network take time to learn about, understand and master. But this learning can pay off in dividends down the road as you learn to market your business online. You don’t necessarily need to be a programmer or master of any specific technology to leverage what’s available, but you must take the time to truly grasp what technology can do for and improve about your business. Small Business Trends

Marketing

Seriously consider social media. Social media is much more than a fad or trend. It is a marketing tool that even the biggest brands are using to great effect. And small businesses can use the same tools to leverage their own brand identity. Here are some thoughts from the big guys! BizSugar Blog

Operations

Study up on deductions and other operations. It’s not just your products or services or the technology involved in delivering them that you must consider as an entrepreneur or small business owner. There are also important decisions to make about the way your company will operate including issues like tax deductions and health insurance. How your business operates are as important as the products or services you provide. Grow Smart Biz

Sales

Rethink the whole cold calling thing. Is cold calling really dead? OK, we’d like to hear from our small business community. We know there are a lot of sales people out there. Do you agree? With the changes in technology available to small business today, especially social media, is there really a need to call number after number. Let us know. The InsideView Blog

Productivity

Make neatness part of your company culture. Can clutter really be that destructive to a small business’s operations? What truly bad habits or other problems with productivity can lack of organization really cause? You may be surprised as you check out the link above for more details. EpicLaunch

Success Stories

Learn what you can from the success of others. March is Women’s History Month and blogger Mir Rooshanak is sharing this series of profiles honoring women’s contributions to entrepreneurship. This week’s post is on Janie McQueen, the President of Susu & John, a creator of clothing for babies. Check out all the profiles and become a better entrepreneur in the bargain. UPrinting.com

Advertising

Know the basics for the results you need. You don’t need to be an advertising genius to understand the basics of getting your message and brand across to the masses. Here’s a think piece about ideas as simple as the size of your brand or logo and what difference it makes to your overall message. Small Business Advertising Strategies

Brand

Study the biggest in the business. Brands that have become household names can be a great inspiration to even the smallest entrepreneurs. Why? Because big companies come from small ones so why not learn from the best? Check out this post and then think of some other brands you know. Can you imagine the world without them? How did they get so big and how can you do the same? The Solopreneur Life

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  1. These are excellent tips – very helpful. Thank you for sharing :}. I especially agree that choosing the right niche is very important, especially one that does not have a lot of competition. As far as advice for companies I highly recommend business coaching whether you are small or a large corporation. We have been working with strategist, Kathleen Ranahan, and it has been well worth our time. Our company is only five years old and still relatively small, but we wanted to take the right steps now in preparing for growth. Kathleen’s assistance has allowed us to see our company from a different perspective and incorporate various strategies and systems that we needed. If you would like to visit her site you can do so at KathleenRanahan.com.