I make lists. Lots of lists. I have a list of things to do around the house, and not just this weekend, but long term. I have a list of Christmas gifts I need to make/buy (yes, in August). And there are post-its and dry erase boards all over my house. Why? Because, if I don’t write stuff down, I will inevitably forget it. Typically I think of everything when I’m trying to go to bed, and if I don’t write it down right then, I won’t be able to sleep because my mind becomes a broken record for fear that I will forget whatever it is I thought of. Arg!

If you suffer from the same limited memory that I do, accompanied by the bustle of a life filled with family, friends, owning a business and the like, you’re probably wondering what you can do to strengthen your memory and make life just a little bit easier. Well, you’re in luck, because I have some suggestions:

Focus and Repeat
When you recognize that something is important and you need to remember it, focus your mind on it, whether it be something you thought of or something someone told you. Then repeat it over and over again to yourself out loud. The more times you hear something, the more implanted into your brain it becomes. And that’s the goal, to make an imprint on your brain.

Find a Special Place
No, not for meditation, but for your stuff. I am what some might call overly organized, with filing cabinets and a place for everything. This is, again, so that I don’t forget where things are located when I need them (and I still misplace stuff). If I don’t get something back in the location that I designate for it, it is practically inevitable that it is gone for good because there is little chance I will remember where I put it.

Continue reading : Strengthen Your Memory »

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As small business owners, we typically don’t have the resources to spend tons of money on marketing research tactics like corporate American uses, such as focus groups or national surveys, which cost a lot of money to conduct. However, we do have an advantage over big companies - we are closer to the customer. Which means we have more inexpensive, and relatively easy, options available to us.

Before conducting any sort of marketing research as a small business owner, you first need to make sure your client list is up to date with current addresses, telephone numbers and, most importantly, e-mail addresses.

E-mail is one of the best, quickest, and budget efficient ways to communicate with your clientèle. It’s also an inexpensive way to do some marketing research, by offering current clients an incentive to take an online survey, such a coupon for 15% off their next purchase. You could also offer an additional 10% off for referring your survey to friends or family who are not current customers. That way you have a chance to get an expanding survey base.

Continue reading : Inexpensive Ways to Conduct Marketing Research »

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Many businesses, especially small ones that don’t necessarily have the man power for all of their human resources, needs use services provided by professional employer organizations (PEO). If you think you might be in need of payroll and various other services, there are some things you’ll need to think about first.

When You Need a PEO
• If you need to provide competitive benefits, such as health insurance, in order to recruit and keep employees. PEOs negotiate rates with insurance carriers for their entire clientele as a whole, which usually gets a better rate for everyone.
• When your business has strict regulation and compliance requirements on the state and federal level that would be difficult and time consuming to keep up with, such as businesses dealing with hazardous chemicals or explosives.

Continue reading : Professional Employer Organization Services »

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Those of us that own a business know that, at some point, there will be cause for expansion. This can be both exciting and scary. Exciting because it only means that our business is doing very well and demand for the product/service we provide is growing. Scary because it is practically common knowledge that, next to tapping into the wrong market, the transition from a small business to a not-so-small business is one of the top reasons businesses fail.

There are some clear indications that it is time to expand your business, and being able to recognize those signs will help to eliminate some of the anxiety that accompanies such a change, since you will know it is necessary.

New Challenges
One of the first signs that your business is in need of a change is the fact that you are facing challenges and struggles that you have never faced before. There may be an overwhelming feeling that your losing control of the business.

Continue reading : How You Know It’s Time to Grow »

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Many of us have ambitions to do lots of crazy things with our lives. We dream of being singers on the American Idol stage, strutting our stuff on Broadway, being a star basketball player like Michael Jordan, or climbing Mount Everest.

For most of us, however, these types of dreams are far reaches from reality. For example, many who dream of being singers, can’t really sing at all (hence the American Idol tryout flops). And when it comes to a career, pursuing the dreams that surround our weaknesses are not the ones that will make us successful.

I’m not by any means saying that you shouldn’t pursue a singing, acting or basketball career. In fact, if you are talented at those things, I would applaud you for pursuing them. What I am saying is that the dreams that center around a weakness are not the avenue to go.

Continue reading : Focus on Your Strengths »

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Many businesses cater to the needs of our beloved family friends. Instead of kennels, many pet owners opt now for doggie day cares, which provide ample socialization and play time, as well as scheduled naps and meals. There are spas for pets, designer clothing and collars, and some hotels even offer room service menus. And, since the latest contaminated food scare, many businesses are providing all natural health food services as well.

But where the pet care industry comes up short is in memorializing our four-legged family members when they pass away. Some veterinarians provide cremation services, but, for the most part, there are few options for helping to remember our beloved fluff balls.

Continue reading : A Need for Pet Memorial Businesses »

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Now that your website is up and running, you need to get potential clients to visit it. After all, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, these days a website is a crucial part of a successful business. But you can’t just expect people to find your site through online searches or happenstance. You have to advertise your website just as diligently as you advertise your actual business.

The following are some tips to get you started:

Communication
All forms of communication need to include your website address. Make sure it is on all letterhead, fax cover sheets, business cards, envelopes, fliers, brochures, newsletters, etc. Additionally, make sure that you/your staff mention your website to any potential clients that may call your office. Always guide them that direction because a majority of the information about your business should be contained on your site. Another great idea is to have your website mentioned on your hold message (like many customer service lines now do). This will help to decrease call volume for a busy business if clients can get the answers to their questions on your site.

Continue reading : Marketing Your Website »

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Everyone knows that, in order to have a truly successful business these days, you need to have a website. Typically, as your business is just getting started, most entrepreneurs will design their own website through a web hosting program online, many of which provide services at an inexpensive monthly cost, usually between free and $50, depending on the quality.

For example, for the photography business I started this year, I designed a website with Microsoft Office Live, through their basic free program. The site templates are practically all the same, but have different colors and navigation bar locations to choose from. I don’t have to know any of the website programing lingo or anything, I just select from a pull down menu. Pretty basic, but it accomplishes what I need at this time.

However, once my business takes off and begins to grow, I plan to have my website designed by a professional so that it can have all the bells and whistles that I really want my clientèle to have access to. And this is typical. As small businesses continue to grow, the demand for web designers increases. But beware, there are many out there that are simply trying to pull the wool over your eyes and make a quick buck, with no regard for you or your business. In fact, the Council of Better Business Bureaus reported 1,971 complaints against web designers or web design companies in 2006, up from just 603 in 2003.

In order to protect your business from being swindled by these wannabe web designers, it is a must that you do the following:

Continue reading : Avoid Getting Gypped by Fraudulent Web Designers »

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Everywhere we look, advertisements surround us. And because we’ve grown accustom to it all, many of us ignore the billboards, vehicles and bulletin boards that bombard our everyday lives. But lately there have been some new found advertising venues that will help to make your ad stand out and get noticed above the rest.

Shirts
Okay, so the idea of advertising on shirts is not new, but these two concepts are. Eye Level Marketing out of LA has come up with interchangeable shirt panels to be worn on employees uniforms. Some of their target markets include theme parks, stadiums, shopping centers and retail stores. For example, the hot dog vendor at the ball park could where panels for a specific brand of beer or soft drink, making those hot dog loving fans salivate for something to wash it down.

Additionally, a New Jersey company called Telme Clothing recognized the fact that most company t-shirts give very limited information about the business. As a means of provided that much needed information (such as a moto or complete contact information), Telme provides a paragraph or two of text on the inside, bottom back panel of the t-shirt. That way, you can hand out your t-shirts to potential clients and they will find all the information they need to contact your business.

Continue reading : New Advertisement Placement Ideas »

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Though it’s not because gas prices are necessarily going down. It’s because gas stations in Texas (with a nation-wide expansion in the works) are providing up to ten cents off per gallon with a special program. The program comes from a two year old, eight person company called National Payment Card (NPC). And all you have to do is pay for your gas by swiping your driver’s license through the credit card slot on the gas pump.

Well, first you have to enter your driver’s license number and bank account information on the NPC website. When your driver’s license is swiped, an automatic withdrawn is taken from your bank account through an e-check with the Automated Clearing House, which is typically used for direct deposits.

Many are skeptical of the idea of giving out such personal information. In fact, the Texas Department of Public Safety does not endorse NPC or any other program that uses your state issued driver’s license. But what those who have their doubts don’t seem to acknowledge is the fact that programs like PayPal (which I know, through experience, to be entirely secure) require more personal information from you than the NPC program.

Continue reading : A Little Relief from High Gas Prices on the Horizon »

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Google has been around for nearly a decade now, but some people still don’t have the hang of it. They enter their search, but still aren’t finding exactly what they’re looking for. Here are a few quick tips for optimizing your Google search results:

Use the Right Terms
Sometimes it can be difficult to use the right search terms, but the better terms you use, the better results you’ll get. For example, if you’re searching for something to help guide your meeting along, use the terms “meeting agenda templates” or “meeting outline” rather than “format for a meeting.” Or, on a more personal scale, use “inexpensive preowned car” instead of “cheap used car.” Someone advertising a used car for sale is more likely to use the more, shall we say, eloquent terms, and so should you.

Continue reading : Optimizing Your Google Search »

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While out to dinner this weekend, my husband, some friends and I had a bad customer service experience. I thought I would share it with the blog community as a means to help learn what your staff should not do when a customer/client is dissatisfied.

We went to dinner at a small, locally owned Italian restaurant that we had heard many good things about, but none of us had yet been to. The service was off to a rocky start as the waitress took quite awhile to get to us. But we tried to give her the benefit of the doubt.

While waiting for our salads, our friends’ seven month old son needed his diaper changed. Dad took him to the men’s restroom to change him. Upon his rather lengthy return he said that it took him so long because there was no where in the men’s restroom to change a baby. No table and not enough counter space. Strike number one.

Continue reading : A Bad Customer Service Experience »

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My husband has one of the greatest work ethics I’ve ever seen. Though he doesn’t any longer, he has worked in grocery since high school as a part-time gig. In the five plus years I’ve known him, he has never once called in to work. It doesn’t matter how sick he is, he always says they are counting on him.

His last job at a grocery store was just 10 hours a week, but when they needed some extra help or needed someone to fill a shift, my hubby was the first person they would call because he always would agree to be there. And you know what, most of the time, people are shocked to hear how devoted to his job he was, even though he really didn’t like it at all.

Why were they surprised? Because stereotypes about the “Y Generation” (those born between 1978 and 1990 - which includes me) have lead people to believe many things about those of us in our twenties and teens, especially when it comes to work, that just aren’t true for the majority. And employers need to start realizing the truth about us young ones, because over the next four years, nearly 10 million of us will be entering the work force.

Let’s examine some of those stereotypes and I’ll point out the misconception and the truth:

Continue reading : Getting Past Generation Y Stereotypes »

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