The Upside to a Recession

When we talk about a recession, we don’t usually tell happy tales. We talk about struggles, cutbacks, and loss. If you were old enough to be in the workforce, own a home or business in that 2007-2010 season, you remember the challenges that we all faced, personally or professionally. But from a marketing perspective, I…

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11 Common Mistakes in a Startup’s First Year

Getting a company up and running is an exciting time. You likely have a strong passion for what you’re doing and a vision for where you’d like to go in the next few years. Everything is new, fresh and exciting. Unfortunately, you’re also inexperienced in running a new business and may make mistakes before you…

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How to Improve Your Small Biz Digital Marketing

Small businesses are particularly challenged when it comes to marketing. Even though 89% of small businesses invest in marketing, limited budgets and lack of specialty staff can stymie their efforts. A new study, The Manifest 2019 Small Business Digital Marketing Survey, offers valuable insight on several fronts including recommendations for improvement. I’ve taken the liberty of adding…

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Small Business Recordkeeping 101

Maintaining business records is a must for any small business. Keeping good records ensures that your business runs smoothly and efficiently, and that you’re prepared when tax time rolls around. Many businesses have experienced crippling issues that compromise business success when they ignore basic recordkeeping practices. Here’s a primer on small business recordkeeping and why…

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Restaurant Industry Trends: What to Adopt and What to Not

Establishing and running a restaurant in the 21st century is not what it used to be. Even in the last decade, the industry has undergone tremendous change. Restaurant owners must be ready to adapt as their customers become increasingly knowledgeable, dine out more frequently and expect higher standards and a faster service. With a growing…

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The New World of Co-Opetition

The relationships we establish, in business, are very complex and constantly changing. We have relationships with colleagues. At some point, we or colleagues may choose to go work someplace else—even our competition. We don’t, at least I haven’t, stopped those relationships. Most of the time, there is intense competition—I want to beat them, just as…

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How Much Do You Spend on R&D? Is It Enough?

Why do profitable, mature businesses die away? One of the most obvious reasons mature businesses die away—when we look in the rear view mirror—is that they did not spend to renew their product or service when newer entrants into the business arrived with better products and services built upon newer technology. Should be an easy fix…

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5 Easy Ways to Maximize Space in a Small Business

No shop, restaurant or any retail space can succeed without using the space that they have in an intelligent way. This can be straightforward when you have a lot of space to work with but that’s not something most businesses are blessed with. So, if you only have a small store or office, then how…

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