I’ve worked trade shows from both sides, as an exhibitor and as an attendee. Both have their pros and cons but both bring with them pressure to meet people and ultimately get something from them. And if you’re like me, standing in a room full of people and chatting with everyone doesn’t come naturally. Even […]
How to Survive Your Next Trade Show Read More »
Do you ever wonder if there’s a real person behind blog posts you read? Well, at least on this website, I assure you there is. To prove it, here’s a dorky picture of me from long ago: As a small business owner, your budget and time are limited. You don’t want to sink a whole
5 Smart Marketing Moves for Your Small Business Read More »
It’s looking like we’re getting closer to losing TikTok. And if TikTok has been vital to promoting your business, you’re no doubt concerned about the future. This is the issue with leaving all your business promotion to social media. Your page could drive lots of sales but if the platform is banned, crashes, or is
Will the TikTok Ban Hurt Your Business? Read More »
When it comes to starting anything, the key is to get started. But once you get rolling, you’ll need to plan a little more. It may be scheduling your workouts, making a shopping list, or writing a simple marketing strategy to promote your business and get more customers. And this is when things can get
Don’t Fly with Your Eyes Closed Read More »
Marketing can be tough for small business owners. You look to big names like Apple, Nike, North Face, and wonder how you can compete. Thing is, you don’t have to compete with them. They have huge marketing departments and even bigger marketing budgets. So let’s start by eliminating marketing from your language. Why? Because the
Stop Marketing and Start Building Relationships Read More »
I recently posted a quote from Muhammad Ali on LinkedIn that got me thinking. Here’s the post: At this point, I’m closer to 50 than I am to 20 and his words resonate loudly. My outlook on life, the way I carried myself, making decisions, all of it was different when I was 20. And
In the last newsletter, I said you’d get the first newsletter of 2024 on January 6. That date came and went. Where have I been? Here’s my LinkedIn post from early January that explains it: And that is where I want to focus the time today: Planning. Specifically, I want to talk about the pitfalls
Make Your Plans Fluid Read More »
I was in the middle of writing this newsletter on a different topic when I realized this is the last one I’ll be sending in 2023. I was also having major mental blocks trying to concentrate on the newsletter while worrying about some client projects to finish this year, preparing customer marketing plans for the
Slow Down and Refresh for 24 Read More »
If your business strives to disrupt the status quo by being best in class in the industry and creating synergy with your customers, we need to have a talk. You’ve grown buzzword happy and it’s doing more harm than good. Your potential customers will give you only a few seconds of their time before they
Buzzwords Don’t Buzz Read More »
Quickly! Without Googling! Can you tell me how many GBs of storage the first iPod had? How about this one: What’s the square footage of your car’s trunk space? Last try. What is the maximum volume of your Bluetooth headphones? Okay, enough of that. You probably want to know why I’m even asking all this.
Stop Making It About You Read More »
