5 Lessons from a Long Shot. A Heartening Belmont Victory.
Like many, I watched the Belmont Stakes hoping to see the first Triple Crown in 24 years. Instead, I saw the 70-1 long shot, Sarava, appear from nowhere to win. We should take heart from this unlikely victory. As small business managers, owners, and entrepreneurs, the “big shots” often see us as long shots – [...]
Bill Collier’s Small Business Rules by Bill Collier
Small Business Rule #1: Your business exists to serve you; not the other way around. I call this the “Purpose” for being a business owner. Basically, you’re not in business for the sake of being in business. You’re in business to enhance your life and the lives of your family members. Your business is simply [...]
A Basic Small Business Bookkeeping System by Mike Brassil
The first step in responsible financial management is to set up your own basic bookkeeping system. Choose a simple record-keeping system that is easy to understand. It should be simple to use, reliable, accurate, consistent and able to provide information on a timely basis. It will help you see how well the business is progressing. [...]
Six Questions to Ask Before Signing a Lease by Mike Brassil
One of the most important steps an entrepreneur takes when expanding a business is leasing office or retail space. For many, that first lease is a new experience. This article contains some questions a new entrepreneur should ask potential landlords. As a rule, leases are contracts written by attorneys to the advantage of property owners. [...]
Six Steps to Effectively Prioritize Your Time by Mike Brassil
One key to becoming more productive is to manage your time wisely. This way, those important projects and tasks will not “fall through the cracks.” Additionally, you will find that some tasks do not really need to be completed at all! First, prioritize your activities in the order of their importance. Time spent on routine [...]
How to Defuse a Potentially Dangerous Work Situation by Mike Brassil
In a perfect world our employees would perform perfectly and act like well-behaved adults. All too often, bad behavior in the workplace is commonplace. The path of least resistance is to remain in denial by rationalizing bad behavior, and pretending it isn’t happening. You convince yourself that the issue isn’t important, or that you hope [...]
Profit and Loss (P&L) Form for Download
P&L Form (PDF format) – Click Here to Download Download by placing your cursor over the link and right-clicking. Then select “save target as” or “save link as” to save it to your hard drive. Mac users: Control-click and select “Download link to disk.” You may copy this file for individual use as long as [...]
A Target Marketing / Unique Selling Proposition Article: What’s in it for me? by Steve Hill
Note from publisher: Targeting customers through a unique selling proposition (USP) is critical. Here, Steve Hill explains six ways to effectively “tell them what you do for them” with the USP.”Don’t tell them what you do. Tell them what you do for them.” As a small business owner, service provider or medical professional, one of [...]
7 Ways to Improve Profit Through Both Long- and Short-Term Strategies
Your marketing mix is the combination of promotions, products, places (distribution channels), and prices you choose for products, services, and the overall business. It is important to strike a balance between those four “Ps”. By including both short- and long-term marketing strategies of each, you can create an even more profitable marketing mix. Long-Term Marketing [...]
Invest in Marketing Programs By Bobette Kyle
Many small business people tend to look at marketing as an expense that takes profit away from the business, as a luxury item to “splurge” on when they have the money, but not a necessity. This approach is short-sighted. Marketing is an investment that increases profit and improves business value over time. Smart stock pickers’ [...]
