Doing Inventory
Since it is almost our year end, I have been spending a couple of nights this week doing inventory at our shop. Since we sell boat parts, there are thousands of items to catalog, which usually takes an entire week. Though I don’t love doing inventory, it is something that needs to be done.
In [...]
Choosing a Competitive Advantage
Business classes teach that in order for a business to succeed, it has to either be relatively free of competition in the market, or it needs to have a competitive advantage that will make people choose your company over another.
There are many ways to build a competitive advantage into your business. The most popular way is, [...]
Choosing a Venue for Your Business Event
Planning a business event is a great way for your employees to both add to their knowledge and skills, and have fun. However, the event venue you choose can be pretty important, as it sets the mood for the entire event. Here are a few things to consider.
How much of the focus do you want [...]
Good Mailing Lists Find the Right Customers
As a business person, you might want to use consumer mailing lists to help you get new customers. These are lists that you purchase to tell you who you should be advertising to that you’re not already reaching. What is important to know is that there are good services for obtaining these lists and there [...]
Business Lessons Learned from Babysitting
I never thought about it this way until recently, but I’ve been an entrepreneur almost all my life — ever since I put my first sign up advertising my babysitting services at the dance studio where I took lessons. I was 11 years old — legally old enough to babysit under Colorado law, but just [...]
The Future of Small Business is Online
As a sole proprietor for four years now and running, I have to say that everything I see indicates that the future of small business is online.
There are more small businesses and self-employed people than ever now, mostly thanks to the Internet. The ‘Net makes possible many small business opportunities that would not exist otherwise [...]
Dressing for a Client Meeting
Whenever you are meeting with a client, you should treat it like a job interview, and dress accordingly. The same principles of first impressions apply, because technically the client is hiring you for a job: the services you provide.
For a client meeting, you should:
Wear a suit. Just like in a job interview, it’s better to [...]
Being Prepared for Anything
As a business owner, it is important to be prepared for anything that could happen. Being prepared reduces the likelihood that if something unexpected happens, you will need to shut down your business in order to take care of it. A few items you might want to have in case of an emergency or the [...]
The Shop
I have been really excited about the new Tattoo designs I’ve been working on at the shop the last couple of days. I’ve added a bunch of different types to display from butterfly tattoos to tribal tattoos. I think this will really help expand my customer base. I’ve also managed to hire a couple more [...]
Employee Involvement in Incentive Programs
Incentives are a part of everyday life. Parents use incentives with their children, teachers with their students, and companies with their employees. One way to get your workers to concentrate on safety is to start safety incentive programs. Try to make your programs reward employees for positive behaviors. This will reduce the tendency to for [...]
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