Top 10 Regrets Franchisees Have After Starting a Franchise
If there’s one thing we hear a lot at America’s Best Franchises, it’s “I wish I’d known THAT before I bought my franchise.” “THAT” can be critical to success in franchising. There are so many things you need to know to start and run a franchise. Following are the Top 10 mistakes franchisees will make…
Read MoreThe Small Business Guide to Facebook Advertising
Facebook can be a great way of engaging customers or just getting some brand awareness. But, not everyone has a marketing department with a mammoth budget, so where do you start? This new infographic simplifies Facebook advertising into an easy 5 step process. Author: G. John Cole is a digital nomad and freelance writer. Specializing…
Read MoreHow to Build Your Small Business’s Reputation from Day One: Part 2
Last time I wrote about the first two tips for building your small business’s reputation from day one. Here are the next three tips! Deliver Anyone can try to attract new customers by saying their new piece of software is the best thing since sliced bread. Anyone can try to attract investors by building up…
Read More4 Important Reasons a Leader Embraces Change
There is a distinct difference between managers and leaders, one of them being how they deal with organizational change. A leader has an entirely different vision to that of a manager. Managers fear change because it upsets their carefully structured way of life, while leaders embrace change because they know that change leads to new ways…
Read MoreTransparency Leads to Trust
I really don’t like surprises. Granted, I’m anti-surprise to the extreme. I used to drive my mom crazy by ferreting out where she hid the Christmas gifts and then “guessing” what I was opening on Christmas morning. I suspect most people aren’t quite that determined to avoid surprises, but the reality is, especially when it…
Read MoreAre You Really Different?
We know the importance of differentiating ourselves in attempting to win business. We try to do this at our web sites, often posting comparisons and charts showing how we have more features and functions than the alternatives. Too often, we think differentiation is about checking more feature boxes, having a richer product, than the competition.…
Read MoreIs Your Brand a 50’s Housewife or Free Spirit?
The days of poodle skirts, greased back hair and Mary Jane’s may be gone but is the prim and proper image of the time not as far gone as we may think? Despite the times being far ahead of the 50s, the digital world is showing us once again that history always repeats itself. Consider…
Read More9 Advanced Content Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
Starting a small business can seem like a huge gamble, but the biggest emphasis on your small business is not always the initial or ongoing investment. Your largest influence will be the content marketing strategies that you employ. There are many strategies to speak of for content marketing, but if you want to stand out…
Read More21 Easy Phone Tips for Outstanding Customer Experiences
Did you know that the old-fashioned, Alexander Graham Bell invention (the telephone) still reigns as the most widely used channel for customer service? Yes, almost nine in ten consumers (89%) feel that telephone customer service either meets expectations (60%) or exceeds expectations. (State of Customer Service Experience 2016, The Northridge Group, Inc.) No matter how you personally feel on any given day, your telephone…
Read MoreLooking for Support? Connect with Like-Minded Entrepreneurs
The old proverb, “Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are,” translates into surrounding yourself with the right people. As a startup founder, surrounding yourself with like-minded entrepreneurs can have a major impact on your own success and that of your business. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often fail to seek out others for a…
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