Today’s guest post is from Ami Neiberger-Miller , founder of Steppingstone, LLC. It is an intriguing look into how a small Loudoun County business faced a PR Crisis with no Crisis PR plan in place. Crisis PR Matters: Even for Small Business Owners Who Don’t Know How to Use the Internet “I don’t know how to use the Internet” is not an excuse that holds water in this […]
I was recently walking along the Flat River in Greenville, Michigan and I saw this wonderful little gaggle of Canadian geese on the shore. Mamma and Pappa decided to take their little goslings across the river, presumably for a tasty treat. In the water they go. It was hysterical to watch them trying to arrange themselves in a row, with one parent in the lead, […]
Small business is big business in America. There are 30.2 million small businesses in the US, with 5.3 million of them having 1-20 employees, according to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy 2018 Small Business Profile. That’s a whole heap of folks who have signed up for an emotional roller coaster ride. The Emotions a Startup Small Business Owner Feels in the Beginning Let me […]
Top 10 Reasons to Write a Business Plan, Part 2 Yes, business plans are often viewed by small business owners as necessary evils. That’s too bad, because getting a business plan consultant and writing your business plan can be one of your best business moves for success. In Part 1 of this blog series, we covered the first 5 reasons to write a business plan, […]
“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” – Scott Belsky Ideas are a dime a dozen. Your world changes when you make ideas happen. And in the for-profit business world, that means sales. Do I Really Need a Sales and Activity Plan? Yes. You start your business because you have great ideas. When you grow your business through sales, you are getting your […]
I rarely work with clients who are over-the-moon excited about writing their business plan, at least in the beginning. They often view it as a necessary evil, sort of like doing chores when you’re a kid, or taking medicine when you’re sick. It’s something you think you “have to do,” but you’d rather not. That’s really too bad, because it can be one of your […]
Guest Post by Kim Fredrich, Sales Trainer, Coach and Speaker How Do You Improve Your Sales? Just Ask! People tell me all the time that they can’t sell. Sometimes they don’t see themselves as salespeople (ick, slimy right?), sometimes they are quiet and introverted, and sometimes they are just so uncomfortable in a sales situation that selling becomes a never-ending spiral of ineffectiveness and anxiety. […]
Many of us start out each new year by setting resolutions and trying to achieve them. Many of us fail. How can we do better? Change is Tough First, understand that change is tough. It is messy, filled with fear and uncertainty, and loaded with traps and pitfalls at every turn. Why? Change involves altering our behavior, our thought processes, our long-standing habits. What we […]
By Startup to Growth Guest Blogger Tricia Worden, Owner and Chief Resource Officer of Next Generation Human Resources Solutions Hiring new talent is a critical function to any small business. Employees are the biggest asset in all companies, regardless of the size, and typically account for 80% of the operational costs of running the business. As a small business, it is important to hire the […]
Content Planning NOW for 2018! Yes, there is still time to prepare and make 2018 your best year ever. We reached out to Meg Kerns, Owner and Chief Digital Strategist at MOKUp Media, for her suggestions about how small businesses can act now to plan their content for 2018. Is it doable? How much work does it take? Meg gives a great example for a real estate […]