Great Ideas for your Small Business: Know Your Competition Entrepreneurs love to brag about beating their competition, but the truth is, most small business owners are too buried in work to keep track of what their competition is up to. But operating your business in a vacuum can lead to its demise. “You have to … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Have a Theater Party When eric schwab moved his advertising specialties company out of his home, he needed a novel way to entice clients to visit the new location. “We partnered with the Civic Theatre of Central Florida for the opening night preview of Forever Plaid,” said Schwab. He … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Ask for Two Business Cards Whenever you meet a new, interesting person, always ask for two business cards. Why? Because you want to keep one and pass the other along to someone else who might benefit from this person’s products or services. I learned this tip from a veteran … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Generate Publicity in Your Community Most small business owners, at least at first, can’t afford to hire a professional public relations person. But you don’t need expensive consultants to attract publicity. You can do it yourself if you do some- thing noteworthy—and then focus on obtaining coverage by your … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Promote with Prepaid Phone Cards Phone cards have been popular in europe since the mid-1980s when British Telecom first issued them to make it easier for customers to call home from Germany and France. But they took another ten years to take hold in America. “We in the United … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Publish a Newsletter In this age of instant information on the Internet, it’s comforting to know that there is still a vibrant market for old-fashioned printed newsletters. There are about 5,000 subscription newsletters and thousands more for free, according to industry experts. Newsletters cover everything from fly fishing and … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Hire a Mascot or a Celebrity Brenny watt didn’t set out to find a mascot for her small store, but she ended up with a famous cat. “One day, a stray cat wandered in, and we started to feed her,” said Watt. “Then one night, we accidentally locked her … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Put a Pig in Your Window Iris fuller, founder and president of Fillamento in San Francisco, cried for two hours after attending a retailing seminar by Peter Glen. They were tears of joy and inspiration. “He made such a difference in the way we do what we do,” said … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Produce an Infomercial If you think marketing your product via an infomercial is a quick and easy way to make mil- lions—think again. Industry experts say only one product in twenty actually hits the big time. Although consumers bought more than $1.5 billion worth of products via infomercials in … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Design a Great Sign for Your Business When you don’t have a lot of money to spend, your sign becomes a magnet for business. It’s a perpetual advertisement. Lloyd Miller, with Canterbury Travel Inc. in Winter Park, Florida, uses a clever sign to lure customers. “I own a travel … Read more
