Great Ideas for your Small Business: Take Some Advice from the Mail-Order Queen (LILLIAN VERNON) The first thing i thought when I met Lillian Vernon was, “Wow, I hope I have as much energy and look as great as she does when I’m older!” This petite powerhouse of the mail-order industry started her business on … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Reinvent Yourself (WALLY AMOS) On march 10, 1975, at 7181 sunset boulevard in Hollywood, Wally Amos, showbiz talent manager, became Famous Amos, the Cookie Man. Using his Aunt Della’s chocolate chip cookie recipe, Amos sold deluxe cookies for the unheard of price of $3 a pound. Celebrities and locals … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Benefit from Volunteerism (HARVEY MACKAY) From envelope salesman to best-selling author of Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty (Dou- bleday; 1999) to entrepreneurial guru, Harvey Mack- ay makes a big impact on the business world every day. He’s always selling. Selling himself, selling his books and columns and, of … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Two Great Ideas (TOM PETERS) Tom peters, best-selling author, high-level consultant, entrepreneur, and speaker, was in a state of transition when we met in New York City in the summer of 1997. He had just sold The Tom Peters Group, the training side of his Palo Alto–based communications business … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Stick to Your Guns and Keep Your Ideas Simple (MIKE BLOOMBERG) Michael bloomberg is a genius whose success is an inspiration for all entrepreneurs. His achievements exemplify the American Dream—starting a business from scratch and earning billions. And since this interview, Bloomberg has gone on to run an even … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Find the Business That’s Right for You (MURIEL SIEBERT) In 1967 muriel siebert became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. A true pioneer in finance, she was made a partner in a major Wall Street brokerage firm, yet was turned down when … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Be a Maverick in Your Industry (HERB KELLEHER) Herb kelleher, his friend rollin king, and banker John Parker sketched out the idea for Southwest Airlines on a cocktail napkin in a bar. True story. They began with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations when … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Abide by the Etiquette of International Trade With everyone buzzing about international trade, it helps to know the DO’s and DON’Ts of conducting business abroad. I asked my friend Syndi Seid for a few specific ideas to share with you. 1. Avoid calendar confusion. One of the most confusing … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Translate Your Marketing Materials One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is not hiring native speakers to create marketing materials destined for foreign markets. In the 1970s Chevrolet made a legendary cultural faux pas when it decided to market the Chevy Nova in Mexico. The family car was … Read more
Great Ideas for your Small Business: Go on a Trade Mission “Going global” is a popular buzz phrase, but talking about doing business abroad is much easier than actually doing it. One smart way to explore the overseas market is to go on a government-sponsored trade mission. Every year, the Department of Commerce’s International Trade … Read more
