Great Ideas for your Small Business: Expand Production South of the Border Japanese giants sony, sanyo electric, and Hitachi made headlines by investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Mexican border factories, but hundreds of small U.S. businesses are also taking advantage of Mexico’s affordable skilled labor force. “It’s the big guys and the small … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Wrap It Up One of the nicest things you can do for your customers and your business is send them out the door with their merchandise beautifully gift wrapped. It saves customers time and money, and great packaging is one of the smartest and most costeffective advertisements for your … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Get to Know Your Customers Personally One of the benefits of owning a small business is being able to get to know your customers, suppliers, and vendors. When you meet people, jot down a few personal notes on the back of their business cards or on Rolodex cards. Ask … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Demand Great Service from Vendors David gumpert, an author, journalist, and website wizard, gave me a great idea when we met in Washington, D.C., to celebrate Small Business Week a few years ago. When he’s negotiating with new suppliers or vendors that he wants to do business with, he … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Send Employees to a Retail Training Center Finding skilled workers has edged out access to capital as the top small business challenge in several recent independent surveys. Now the retail industry is doing something about it, and every consumer who has waited patiently while an unskilled clerk attempted to … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Make House Calls In this high-tech, constantly bustling world, a little personal service goes a long, long way. Visiting your clients or customers at their homes or in their neighborhood gives some businesses a definite edge over the competition. Mary Heyob and her husband, Tom, sell crop insurance in … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Take This Quick Customer Service Quiz Take this customer service quiz to find out whether you are treating your customers the way you, yourself, would like to be treated. Do you really know who your customers are and whether you are responsive to their changing needs? If you are … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Sell Products Online After some internet security–related cold feet, consumers seem to have become more comfort- able shopping online, so it’s time to figure out if you, too, should be selling via the World Wide Web. The Commerce Department reported in November 2001 that e-commerce sales continued to grow … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Buy a High-Tech Postage Meter The days of lugging a heavy postage meter to the post office for a refill are over. On March 31, 1999, the U.S. Postal Service outlawed the mechan- ical postage meters used by most small businesses. The Postal Service’s decision to phase out the … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Computerize Your Service Business Before veteran tailor and dry cleaner yoon Lim bought the Manor Cleaners in Pelham Manor, New York, whenever I forgot my yellow dry cleaning receipt, I had to sign my name in a worn spiral note- book to confirm that I had collected my clothes. … Read more
