Small Biz Survival

I am back for the Brag Basket

2009-11-20T05:22:00.000-06:00

I've been away at the London #140conf, but I'm back and it's time for Brag Basket!

Every week, I open a Brag Basket, so you can introduce yourself orshare some good news. So speak up and add yourself or another deservingsoul in the comments. Weall cheer, and everyone feels great.

It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

This particular basket is open from Nov. 20-Nov. 22, 2009.

How does it work? You write a comment on this post. You tell somethinggreat about your week, or you give plaudits to someone who did goodstuff this week. Or you celebrate a terrific failure. It's not an ad;it's a conversation with friends. So jump in.

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Our friends launch BatchBook for Sales

2009-11-19T03:42:00.001-06:00

Our friends Pam and Michelle (and crew) at BatchBlue have launched BatchBook for Sales.

BatchBook is a CRM (customer relationship manager) for small business. Think of it as a super-hero address book.

Here's an overview of the new sales features. It now has Deals, a Calendar, and more userrestrictions, so you have more ways to work with an assistant or others.

(And I hear they are working on a To-Do template and a LeadsSuperTag.)

Stop by BatchBook. Tell 'em we sent ya! (No, you won't get a special deal, but it will make me feel good.)

Photos by Becky McCray: 1. Michelle Riggen-Ransom of BatchBlue with Shashi Bellamkonda of Network Solutions. 2. Pam O'Hara of BatchBlue

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How to make your tourism Twitter more interesting

2009-11-17T04:11:00.000-06:00

At BlogWorld Expo, I finally got to meet two of Sheila Scarborough's travel connections, Doug at Authentic Seacoast (@AuthenticCoast) and Shannon Lane (@Cajun_Mama). We had a great discussion about what makes tourism tweets interesting.

Doug said a regional tourism group had an intern handling their Twitter account. He would tweet things like, "I'm going to have a sandwich." If only it had been a local specialty, like a lobster sandwich, Doug said.

From a great local cafe, I added.

With a picture, Shannon finished.

You make your tourism Twitter stream more interesting by including the details and connections that make your place come to life.

Photo: my twitpic of a 1/2 ruben, 1/2 roast beef sandwich from Carl's Bar, in Hutchinson, KS.

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How to renew your blogging enthusiasm

2009-11-16T04:11:00.025-06:00

Blogging is a terrific tool for small businesses, but the work of blogging eventually can get you into a rut. That's why so many blogs stagnate and even die after a while.

Long-time friend Chris Brogan asked a pointed question about this, on Twitter.

Is your blog phoning it in? Are you tagging along in a pile of similar content? How will you break out?

Here are some of the techniques I have used to keep blogging through four years and over 1000 posts, even when my enthusiasm waned.

1. Go to an in-person event.

In early 2008, my energy for writing Small Biz Survival dwindled. Then I went to South by Southwest Interactive. A conversation there with Chris caused me to write my most popular post ever, and that kicked off one of my most productive blogging periods.

And this still works for me. In October this year, I went to BlogWorld Expo and had a great time. I hit a couple of really standout presentations, had wonderful conversations with friends old and new, and had a great time presenting a panel on real small businesses using interactive tools for marketing. When Rick Calvert asked for links to posts and photos that came from the event, I realized I had a small set of photos, and six posts so far. (I have another one in the pipeline for tomorrow, too.)

Three speaking tips for wired audiences
Six big Facebook tips for small business
Is it worth paying for help with free tools?
Starting small at Eyes-Lips-Face (video)
Managing your social media marketing time
Connecting Across (at Out Standing in my Field)

2. Quit writing at your site for one week.
Give yourself a break, and set a time when you'll deliberately return.

3. Comment on other people's posts.
Spend the week reading other people, and adding comments on their sites. Lots of times I'll start leaving a comment and realize that I have enough to add to also turn that into a new post.

4. Be interviewed.
When other people ask me questions, they are coming from a new perspective. The questions frequently lead me to new answers or new ways of putting things together. That just happened again this week, this time with questions from @newentrepreneur.

5. Have conversations.
For the same reason as interviews, in-depth conversations also help me create new connections. When I roomed with Jean Warner (@jeanwarner) at BlogWorld Expo, she asked a lot of questions. She was also full of ideas and new concepts. It was incredibly helpful for me to try to see from her perspective.

6. Make room for other voices.
I was lucky to have started with my co-authors Jeanne and Mom, and I have become a collector of guest posters and regular contributors like Jon. Everyone has their own voice, their own perspective. Avoid the temptation to over-edit these contributions. Let the author shine on their own. Difference is a good thing, in this case.

What techniques help you break out?

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Interview at Business Owners Toolkit

2009-11-14T04:25:00.002-06:00

Greg Corombos and John Duoba from the Business Owner's Toolkit Radio interviewed me for their radio show. We covered a lot of ground, including:

What's different in rural business, and what can all businesses learn?
Do shop local campaigns work? How do you start one?
What are some keys to success in small retail stores?
What are some business ideas for small towns?
What are the differences between locally-based business versus chain businesses?
What advice can we give business owners facing failure?
Is social media a waste of time?
How can you not get sucked into the vortex, or how do you manage your online time?

Here's the description of the full episode from the Toolkit site:

Greg and John talk about a new initiative by federal officials that ishoped will improve small business lending, recommendations for usingyour completed business plan, the types of small business insurance,and how to use Business Tools found at toolkit.com sample letters forchecking employer references, personal references, educational recordsand driving records. In addition, Becky McCray, small town entrepreneurowning a retail store and cattle ranch, as well as publisher ofSmallBizSurvival.com, is interviewed about rural small business issuesand trends.

Go to the Toolkit show site and look for the 10-24-2009 show, or download the MP3 of the interview.
I'm at 20:30 in the show, but the whole things is worth your time.

Photo of me on the radio from SXSW 2009, by (cc) Shashi Bellamkonda Social Media Swami (cc) Network Solutions

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Every week is a new brag basket

2009-11-13T05:15:00.003-06:00

Every week, I open a Brag Basket, so you can introduce yourself orshare some good news. So speak up and add yourself or another deservingsoul in the comments. Weall cheer, and everyone feels great.

It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

This particular basket is open from Nov. 13-Nov. 15, 2009.

How does it work? You write a comment on this post. You tell somethinggreat about your week, or you give plaudits to someone who did goodstuff this week. Or you celebrate a terrific failure. It's not an ad;it's a conversation with friends. So jump in.

New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.

J.C. Hutchins and Zero Budget promotion

2009-11-11T14:55:00.000-06:00

Our friend Chel Wolverton helped me connect with award-winning novelist J.C. Hutchins to talk about promoting on little or no budget. I thought small businesses could take some lessons from his success.

J.C. is best known for his high-tech 7th Son thriller trilogy, which he released as free serialized audiobooks from 2006-07.With more than 5 million episodic downloads of his fiction -- andapproximately 100,000 downloads still occurring each month -- 7th Son is the most popular "podcast novel" series in history.

Thanks to savvy "zero budget" promotion and relentless evangelism from his fans, the series’ first novel, Descent, is now in print from St. Martin’s Press. J.C. has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR's Weekend Edition, TIME.com, OMMA and Blogger & Podcaster magazines, and the BBC.

1.Can you sum up, in one paragraph, what the "zero budget" project is,and how small town businesses could benefit from reading about it?

Certainly.The "zero budget" marketing I've used to promote my novels hails fromnecessity -- like most small businesses, I simply don't have the cashto hire a fancy marketing company to spread the word about my work. SoI bootstrap it by using free online services (such as my website,blogging, podcasting, Twitter and Facebook) to boost awareness for myfiction. Further, I use these tools to personally engage with mycustomers -- making them more than customers; they become fans -- and ask them to help spread the word about my product.

Most businesses understand the importance of advertising and outreach. Butso many fail to recognize that their satisfied customers are the bestmarketers money can't buy. By turning your customers into fans, youtranscend a mere transaction-based relationship and become somethingfar more significant in their minds.

2. Are there any necessary first steps to making a zero budget promotion work? For example, how necessary is it to have a plan?

Abusiness can certainly benefit from a plan, but I encourage low-riskexperimentation -- especially when businesses are using social mediatools (like Twitter and Facebook) for the first time. There's no needto break the bank here, from a time and effort perspective. Start outsmall and slow, and see what resonates with your customers.

Thekey element is providing value. Value, value, value. Make it worth yourcustomers' time and effort -- and then make it effortless.

Forinstance: A local retailer can create a customer-centric Twitteraccount or Facebook page. This takes minutes to do, and is free. (It'seasy to become consumed with fancy designs, bells and whistles -- butforget that stuff. Bare-bones it.) Promote these pages with somelow-cost in-store signage, and talk it up to customers ... even slipself-printed paper promotional "postcards" in each checkout bag.Encourage customers to visit those sites.

Why?Because there are online-exclusive deals that can be found there. Orperhaps there are quick tips that cater to your customers' needs. With$20 and 10-minute time investment, you can provide valuable coupons foryour customers, or priceless expertise. In a way, you bring yourbusiness to them. These things create value and customer loyalty --they'll come back to those pages for more. They'll come back to yourstore, too.

And if your customers don't visitthose sites? You're out $20 and 10 minutes. That's chicken feed, evenfor the most strapped businesses. You can implement similar strategieswith blogs or podcasts, but start small and see what works.

3. What are the top 2 or 3 most successful techniques you've used so far?

Inthe online subculture in which I operate, I've found that loss leaderproducts, cross-promotion, and leveraging customer enthusiasm deliverthe best "zero budget" results.

Loss leader products

Igive away my novels for free in serialized audio and text formats, andencourage my customers to share that free content with their friends.This sounds insane; how can I make a profit if I'm giving away mystuff? But these loss leader products get folks into the door, andinvested in what I'm doing. They enjoy the free stuff, and are willingto hear me promote the "print" editions of my novels, which are forsale. Further, the low barrier of entry attracts customers who wouldnot have otherwise discovered by books. I've seen a tangible connectionbetween my strategy and successful book sales.

Brick-and-mortarretailers -- or any other business, for that matter -- can benefit fromthis strategy. I mentioned online-exclusive deals/coupons and "experttips" articles. There is little monetary downside to these lossleaders, as it either drives customers in-store, or delivers invaluableinsights that lend credibility to your business ... which brings peoplein-store. With minimal modification, this strategy can work effectivelyfor industries well beyond retail.

Cross-promotion

Smallcompanies can also benefit by creating short- or long-term partnershipswith other local businesses. Better still, these alliances need notcost a dime. This cross-promotion can occur online, or inbrick-and-mortar locations. This works best with businesses who havecustomers with overlapping interests.

Forinstance: Let's say your town has a locally-owned hardware store andbookstore. The hardware store can feature low-cost in-store signagethat promotes the local bookstore as "the best place" to learn moreabout decoration, remodeling and other DIY endeavors. Meanwhile, thebookstore has signage in the appropriate sections that promote thelocal hardware store as "the best place" to buy the tools customersneed to get the job done. It's a dirt-cheap promotion which lendscredibility -- and drives business -- to both stores.

Leveraging Customer Enthusiasm

Transcendthe traditional transaction-based relationships with your customers.Make them fans with superior service and value! Identify your happyrepeat customers and ask them to help spread the word about yourbusiness. Provide them with a few flyers (which provide value viadeals/coupons/etc.) to pass out to friends and family. Or ask them tomention your Twitter or Facebook pages. Since they're already investedin your success -- they enjoy doing business with you -- they'll likelyaccept your low-pressure offer.

And if they don't? Hey, no sweat. You only spend a few bucks printing those flyers.

4. You are targeting a fairly tech-savvy audience with your writing. Howwell do these tactics work when your target isn't that technicallyminded?

They canwork just fine; in fact, several of the "zero budget" tips I'vementioned are designed for the "real world," and not the Internet. Allit requires is an absolute love and belief in your business, and awillingness to pursue the slightly unconventional in your outreach andcustomer relationships. If you love what you do, that passion willspread to your customers -- and to allies with whom you can partner.

Learn more about J.C. Hutchins and his work at http://JCHutchins.net.

Photo courtesy of J.C. Hutchins

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Tap into Rural Tourism and Retail Opportunities

2009-11-10T04:45:00.003-06:00

[Jennifer Brooks writes a terrific blog about rural/urban fringe issues, and I invited her to do a guest post for us. And I am glad I did! -Becky]

Drive, Shop and Be Merry: Tapping Into Rural Tourism & Retail Opportunities at Christmas

By Jennifer Brooks

Even as large retailers are slashing prices and expecting sluggishholiday spending from consumers this year, the Christmas season is aprime opportunity for rural communities and small businesses to makebig plays and compete, not necessarily on prices, but on uniqueexperiences, natural beauty, authentic person-to-person interactions,and other distinctive tourism-type offerings.

People, especially those living in larger centres, are drawn to rural areas for precisely the above reasons.

The secret? Day-trips. If your community is located approximately 60miles from a larger urban centre … ka-ching! There’s your targetaudience. If your community is not, it may mean a little more work topartner with other communities to create a rural tour, one focused – ofcourse – on local retailers and further supported by things to see anddo in the area.

A good friend of mine, in fact, introduced me to this concept aftertaking part in one such excursion. Her small home-town, like so manyothers, was facing economic decline and was forced to become creativein effort to survive.

Taking advantage of the holiday season, their solution became ‘Women onWheels,’ a day-long tour focused on creating a women’s-only ruralshopping experience. Partnering with two other small communities, thetour stops at a dozen participating stores – many which offer specialdiscounts, activities (e.g. photos with Santa, complimentary‘mocktails,’ snacks), live music and more – and incorporates additionalseasonal events such as a lighted parade, outdoor street market, and avillage festival.

It’s been a huge success.

Again, it’s the unique, authentic experience that makes something likethis work … and which rural communities can offer in spades over theirurban counterparts.

Not only does this bring much needed dollars into your local economy,it also offers collaborations on other levels … think aboutadvertising, complementary business partnerships, brand building,encouraging entrepreneurial talent, networking, and more. And it isn’tlimited to the holiday season, either … a mother-daughter tour forMother’s Day? Sure! A family-friendly regional summer tour? Why not?!

So … what does your community have to offer? How can you take advantage?

***
Jennifer Brooks is a small-town shopping aficionado currently workingin the field of rural development. She writes about communitydevelopment, growth, and communication in the rural-urban fringelandscape at The Rurban Fringe blog – www.therurbanfringe.com.

Photo of Hutchinson, Kansas, Third Thursday by Becky McCray.

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4 tips for going into business

2009-11-09T04:19:00.000-06:00

Jeanne Cole, a regular contributor here, put together some basics for small business, for the Small Business 101 workshop held in Alva. Here are her 4 top tips.

1. Do a business plan for the right reason.
Most people only write a business plan when they want money. But the top reason to write a business plan is for your own benefit. Lots of people say, "I've got it all in my head." Please get it worked out and do a couple of pages of narrative. Figure out how much money you want to make and how long you expect to stay in the business.

2. Develop your entrepreneurial attitude.
Work on willingness to take risk and perserverance.

3. Evaluate your business idea carefully.
How can you tell if an idea will make money? By doing the planning, doing the financial projections. The business plan guide from the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center includes financial projection forms.

4. Get out and gather some business intelligence.
Local sales tax goods reports can give you an idea of the current local market in many areas. Want to know the real experience of others? Call competitors and other entrepreneurs. And don't forget the personal resources, the service providers who support small businesses in your area.

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The Management Expert helps with people problems

2009-11-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

Just as soon as your small business includes more than just you, there will be people problems. To help you with those problems, our friend Phil Gerbyshak has put up a new resource, The Management Expert.

Phil has pulled together a huge collection of over 500 of his management articles. His goal is to help new managers be better managers.

Phil was one of the contributors to the Great Big Small Business Show that Chris Brogan and I produced back in 2006, and he is a very smart thinker. I highly recommend all new managers in small business spend some time with The Management Expert.

Photo of Chris Brogan, Phil Gerbyshak and Becky McCray courtesy of Phil Gerbyshak.

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Join the Brag Basket

2009-11-06T04:38:00.001-06:00

Every week, I open a Brag Basket, so you can introduce yourself orshare some good news. So speak up and add yourself or another deservingsoul in the comments. Weall cheer, and everyone feels great.

It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

This particular basket is open from Nov. 6-Nov. 8, 2009. (I put datesso you won't accidentally leave a comment on an old basket.)

How does it work? You write a comment on this post. You tell somethinggreat about your week, or you give plaudits to someone who did goodstuff this week. Or you celebrate a terrific failure. It's not an ad;it's a conversation with friends. So jump in.

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3 Speaking tips for wired audiences

2009-11-05T22:09:00.000-06:00

More audiences today are wired, with laptops or smart phones. They are taking notes, Tweeting, and much more. This changes the dynamic of speaking, so here are three tips I picked up at BlogWorld Expo this year.

1. Using a visual can make people stop taking notes and listen to you. This one came from @armano during his presentation on creating visuals. He was right, too.

2. Put a copy of your presentation online ahead of time. If theprojector or video fails, all those with laptops in the audience canpull it up and flip through it with you. This one was suggested by @digitalandy when the computer controlling the projector failed in a session. Seems so obvious, but how often do we do it?

3. Before you make a gesture to help explain a concept, say, "I want you to watch as I do this..." I heard @shama say this in her presentation to get people to look up from their screens. It worked, too.

What have you learned about speaking with increasingly connected audiences?

Photo by Becky McCray

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6 big Facebook tips for small business

2009-11-03T21:24:00.000-06:00

Facebook can be a powerful tool for small business, and our friend Shama Kabani of Click to Client shared some outstanding tips in her presentation at BlogWorld Expo.

Tip 1: Create a fan Page, not a personal Profile, for your business.

Fan pages are the best way for small businesses to interact with customer and potential customers on Facebook, Shama said. If you don't have a Facebook account yet, create one in your own name. Then go create your Facebook Page.

Tip 2. Build your page with your purpose in mind.
Start with the little box that appears under your photo. Put something meaningful about your business in there, because that is the first place most people look on your fan Page, Shama said. Then fill in all the other basic information about your business, and put up a friendly welcome message.

Before we had fan pages, lots of businesses and associations created profiles of their business, just like their business was a person. Unfortunately, this is against Facebook's terms of service, and it is enough cause to have your profile deleted. Now Facebook is cracking down on these profiles. So that leads us to...

Tip 3. If you have a Profile for an organization, start converting to a fan Page right now.
Slowly ramp down the activity on your old Profile, as you continue to direct people over to the new Page. Shama pointed out that you can use the Notes feature, and tag the people you want to notify about the new Page.

As you start collecting Fans of your Page, you want to convert them. Shama pointed out that there are two types of conversion:

Convert them into consumers of your information.
Convert them into clients who pay.

Facebook is better at making people consumers of your info. Then over time, they can become your clients. Since people are becoming consumers of our information, how do we know what type of information people will want to consume and share on Facebook? Ah! Now we've come to Shama's killer secret about using Facebook for small business...

Tip 4. The number one reason people get on Facebook is to showcase their own identity.
If you want to reach people, then tap into this reason. What does your brand say about your customers? How does it look on their profile when they fan you or share your content? Do they like that connotation?

For example, if you live in Alva, Oklahoma, how does it look if you become a fan of Allen's Liquor Store? How is that different that being a fan of the Candy Bouquet? It's all in how your fans you want other people to see them, and how you play a part in that.

Tip 5. Facebook is the ultimate tool for sharing success stories. You were wondering how you were going to fill all that blank space on your Page, weren't you? Well, talk with your customers about how you've helped them. Get permission to share their stories, and start posting them to help others.

Tip 6. Facebook Connect is the new superpower.
This is where you integrate your Facebook efforts with your regular website. It's kind of like a badge or widget to put on your site to share your Facebook Page activity. But it also gives you statistics about your website visitors, and it adds social interaction to your site. Check out more details at Facebook Connect. It really is just what Shama called it: the new superpower.

Thanks to Shama Kabani of Click to Client for sharing such useful information in her presentation.

Photo of Shama Kabani by Becky McCray

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Tips for setting business hours

2009-11-01T13:20:00.000-06:00

Every so often, we feature common small business mistakes, so you can learn from them.

Lots of small business make a mistake in setting and keeping their business hours.

Here's an example from a retail business, open only 11 hours per week. But hey, they do say you can call and they'll come open up. This may be more common in small towns, where we're more informal. It's still a mistake. How many potential customers are you turning away?

Two years ago, I wrote about a couple of other local business, one with inconsistent hours that were always changing and one that wasn't always open when it said it would be.

The tips on setting business hours that I offered in 2007 are just as good today.

Think about your target customers when you set your hours. Ask them when they want you to be open.
Set an incredibly easy to understand schedule.
Publicize your business hours in all the media you use.
Be open when you say you will. Open on time, and don't close early.

I know, emergencies will occur, but do your best!

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Is it worth paying for help with free tools

2009-10-31T10:59:00.001-05:00

Many times, it is worth paying for help with what seem like free tools like social media, websites, or even photography.

Look at it this way. If you want to build a house, you probably already have a hammer and all the tools you need. You can find some lumber pretty cheap. There are even books full of house plans and instructions.

Or you can hire a professional home builder. Or only subcontract out the parts you need. It depends on what kind of results you want, how much time you can invest, and your personal skill level.

Photo by Becky McCray.

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Introduce yourself in the Brag Basket

2009-10-30T05:41:00.001-05:00

Every week, I open a Brag Basket, so you can introduce yourself or share some good news. So speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. Weall cheer, and everyone feels great.

It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

This particular basket is open from Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2009. (I put dates so you won't accidentally leave a comment on an old basket.)

How does it work? You write a comment on this post. You tell somethinggreat about your week, or you give plaudits to someone who did goodstuff this week. Or you celebrate a terrific failure. It's not an ad;it's a conversation with friends. So jump in.

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Can you make it big from a small town?

2009-10-28T16:25:00.006-05:00

Is it really possible to live and work where you want? Or do you have to be located where the action is?

We talk about this a lot here, and Jesse offered an interesting opinion in the comments on Barbara Winter's guest post, Becoming and Entrepreneurial Villager:

Its true the new technology enhanced economy allows each of us to havemore autonomy over our personal and professional live and where wechoose to live. But I still think that in order to make it big (notjust tread water) you have to go where the people are.

I mean itsays a lot that you [Barbara] are located in Las Vegas! Anyway, its great to seesomeone writing about small town business. As more of these marketsbecome aware of the resources available on the internet your name andpopularity are only going to skyrocket!

Congrats

Jesse
[emphasis added]

I picked a few folks for my photo montage who I think are small town successes.

Michelle Riggen-Ransom co-founded BatchBlue from Rhode Island.
Aliza Sherman is a national expert on women and technology. She is currently based in tiny Tok, Alaska.
Britt Raybould is defining her own level of success from Idaho.
Hugh MacLeod invented the idea of the Small Town Global Microbrand and is now a best selling author. He has lived many places in the world, but chose to return to Alpine, Texas.
Jack Schultz of Effingham, Illinois, wrote the book on small economic development and is a premier consultant on economic development.
Des Walsh chose long ago to move out of the big city to Australia's Gold Coast, where he is still in demand as a speaker and authority on home-based business, government, and technology.
I haven't yet met Jason Kintzler, founder and CEO of Pitch Engine, so I don't have a photo of him. He's another small town person running a global technology company. He happens to be happily based in Wyoming.

What do you think? Can you make it big from a small town? Are the folks I mentioned just treading water? Do you have any examples you'd like to point out?

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Do you send holiday cards from your business?

2009-10-26T09:03:00.000-05:00

[Please welcome back our friend, frequent guest poster, and smart copywriter Denise McGill, with a timely reminder. -Becky]

By Denise McGill

If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to order those holiday business cards to let clients know they are appreciated! It’s no news that the economy is performing at below par right now, so it’s more important than ever to acknowledge client/customer loyalty. It’s also a great way to strengthen and maintain your client base for the coming new year.

By mailing a holiday greeting card you

build client rapport.
acknowledge and thank clients for their continuing business.
keep your business or service foremost in a client’s minds.

Good rapport with customers clients can’t be stressed enough. In fact, it should be a priority. It goes along the lines of providing the best customer service possible and that includes an acknowledgment of gratitude. Good rapport keeps the lines of communication open between yourself and your client.

While you are at it, drop a fresh business card, small calendar or other small promotional item in the holiday greeting for clients to keep on hand through the coming year.

Wishes for a profitable new year!

About Denise:
Denise McGill is a freelance copywriter specializing in catalog product description, copy makeovers, web content, landing pages, promotional materials, articles and more. Visit her website at http://mcgillcopywriting.com for more information on giving your business the competitive edge.

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Starting small at Eyes Lips Face

2009-10-25T20:17:00.002-05:00

Ted Rubin, Chief Marketing Officer for Eyes Lips Face, took time out at BlogWorld Expo to tell us how ELF started small, and has grown.

When Ted says how many "skews" they have, he's referring to SKU's, or Stock Keeping Units. In essence, it's how many products they make. (Bonus points to you retail-savvy folks who already knew that.)

Are you daring to dream big with your small business?

Subscribers: please stop by the site to view the video.

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Becoming an Entrepreneurial Villager

2009-10-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

[Barbara Winter is one of the few folks talking about small town business. Her special focus is on being joyfully jobless. I'm thrilled she offered up this guest post. - Becky ]

Not long ago, I found myself seated next to a small town enthusiast on a flight to Dallas.
This man was a former pilot who had left flying when he was diagnosed with a serious illness. He had recently become a flight training instructor, but he was most excited about the little bed and breakfast inn he and his wife owned in a small town in northern Pennsylvania. It was their second such venture and he regaled me with stories about his life as an innkeeper.

This former pilot was also a former city dweller who had reinvented himself as a small town entrepreneur. He’s not alone in discovering new opportunities in off the beaten path places. What may not be so obvious is why so many new entrepreneurs are deciding that a small town is the perfect place to create their own version of World Headquarters.

For thousands of years, anyone running a business was at the mercy of geography. If you lived near a river or the ocean, you had opportunities not available to your landlocked neighbors. Being an entrepreneur usually meant plunking yourself down in a convenient spot and dealing with whomever happened to pass your way.

That’s all changing. Where business once meant marketing goods and services to those in close proximity, it now is more about reaching out to those who share values, concerns and ideas—no matter where they are located.

As a result, we’re seeing people who’ve built international consulting businesses from their cabins on the Western Slopes of Colorado or run an art gallery via the Internet from their home on Vancouver Island or sold their copywriting services from their houseboat.

If you’re dreaming about becoming an entrepreneurial villager yourself, you could either create a local business that serves your community or you could serve a clientele unlimited by geography. Either kind of business is possible in the new world of cottage industries since today’s cottage is apt to be an electronic one.

While it’s not my intention to suggest that these are the only possibilities (far from it),here are a few ideas for profit centers that are especially suited to village life.

At your service. My old favorite, the service business, gets high points for small town enterprise. Even the tiniest communities can support a wide range of services. While some service businesses require special skills or training (i.e. furnace repair, barbering), more and more service businesses exist to save people time or money.

A great way to generate ideas for a service business is by asking yourself the question, “Who’s got a problem I know how to solve?”

Put your computer to work. Nothing in our lifetime has had a bigger impact on business than the personal computer. Graphic designers, marketing pros,copywriters and virtual assistants can build their businesses locally and beyond.

Since many writers can live wherever they want, freelancers, as well as novelists, often choose to plant themselves in small communities. With the Internet putting research sources within reach of everyone, freelancing from almost anywhere has gotten even easier.

Today many consultants and life coaches work with clients via Skype, the popular alternative to landlines.

Create a destination business. On a road trip several years ago, we visited a quilt shop in Goshen, Indiana, that had collectors coming from all over the world to buy their stunning creations.

Although many small towns have seen the demise of local businesses such as hardware and clothing stores, creative shopkeepers are bringing commercial spaces to life again with art galleries, antique shops, inns and unique restaurants that bring in out-of-town customers. If it’s special, people will come.

Market products to the world. You don’t have to look very far to see that mail order has long flourished in tiny towns. Thousands of people will never set foot in Dodgeville, Wisconsin (population 4,975), but they’ll buy something from the Lands’ End catalog which is headquartered there. Like other forms of doing business, mail order has benefited from technology.

A woman I know living outside a small town in southern Wisconsin creates jewelry and handknit purses which she sells to celebrities and customers throughout the world via Etsy.com, as well as her own Website.

A quick survey of smaller mail order operations shows that many such businesses favor small town locales. You can order maple syrup directly from Vermont, Christmas trees from Michigan and software from New Hampshire. And if your town is served by FedEx or UPS, mail order marketing gets even easier.

For many people, an ideal life would be living in a place they love, with people they love, doing work that they love. Being an entrepreneurial villager could make that happen. As Jack Lessinger says, “Build something, help something, save something. The possibilities are endless.”

***************

Barbara J. Winter is a speaker, writer and entrepreneur who started her first business while living in tiny Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She is the author of Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love and publisher of Winning Ways newsletter, the longest-running self-employment publication of its kind in the country. She currently resides in the not-small-town of Las Vegas, Nevada.

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You know I love the Brag Basket

2009-10-23T04:12:00.000-05:00

Admit it; you love the Brag Basket as much as I do. So speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. Weall cheer, and everyone feels great.

It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

This particular basket is open from Oct. 23-25, 2009. (I put dates so you won't accidentally leave a comment on an old basket.)

How does it work? You write a comment on this post. You tell somethinggreat about your week, or you give plaudits to someone who did goodstuff this week. Or you celebrate a terrific failure. It's not an ad;it's a conversation with friends. So jump in.

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Kansas MarketPlace rural entrepreneurship event Nov 9 and 10

2009-10-22T11:50:00.001-05:00

[Small business owners, entrepreneurs, and rural businesses need to be at the first Kansas MarketPlace in November. Joy Marshall shared this info on the event. Mark your calendar, and spread the word! -Becky]

You have an incredible opportunity to learn new skills, network with successful entrepreneurs, and discover new ideas for small businesses and communities at the Kansas MarketPlace.

This new two-day event is coming to the Ramada Hays Convention Center in Hays, Kansas, on November 9 and 10, 2009. If you are interested in entrepreneurship, family farms and ranches, and rural communities, you'll want to be there for sure.

Hurry! Register for the Kansas MarketPlace now, in time for Early Bird registration. http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/registration-kansas

Six educational tracks will focus on the topics you need to know -- financing, marketing, business development, community development, agriculture and technology. The program is filled with a variety of enticing sessions -- see them all here: http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/agenda-kansas

Top-notch speakers will share the knowledge and enthusiasm entrepreneurs need for success. Andrew McCrea, an energetic farmer, rancher, and Oscar-winning radio broadcaster from northwest Missouri, will present at the Monday session. Don Landoll, an entrepreneur, businessman, and owner and founder of Landoll Corporation in Marysville, Kansas, will keynote Tuesday morning.

You'll be able to network with others in the Exhibit Hall, with up to 37 booths filled with successful entrepreneurs, service providers and conference sponsors. You'll be able to meet with these folks, ask questions, gather information and make connections all day long.

Register today and take advantage of Early Bird prices! Early Bird Registration expires on Oct. 28.

http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/registration-kansas

Kansas MarketPlace is presented by the Center for Rural Affairs and the Kansas Department of Commerce Rural Development Division. It is modeled after two similar highly successful events held annually in North Dakota and Nebraska and credited with bringing new jobs and employment there.

Help rural Kansas and build on your entrepreneurial dreams at the Kansas Marketplace in November!

See you there,
Joy Marshall, MarketPlace Planner
Center for Rural Affairs

Photo courtesy of CFRA, of a 2008 MarketPlace

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Is crowdSpring a good thing for rural designers

2009-10-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

crowdSPRING is a marketplace for creative services. A customer puts out a project and sets the job price. Designers can choose to create a proposed solution, and the customer picks the winner.

It has attracted controversy, with professional designers saying that spec work hurts their industry. That is, a designer has to create a fully finished design, and may or may not be selected and paid. Andrew Hyde, one of my long-time Twitter friends and fellow test driver of the 2010 Mustang at BlogWorld this year, explained in 2008 why he thinks Spec Work Is Evil. And early in Small Biz Survival history, one of my good friends chided me in the comments for linking to a spec work company.

So I was wary when Ross Kimbarovsky of crowdSPRING approached me at SXSW. He and I talked a bit. Ross told me that over 36,000 designers work on cS, including quite a few based in rural areas. Of course, I'm always interested in rural small business, so I asked for the story of one of their rural designers.

crowdSPRING put me in contact with Rachel Stene, from Sparta, Wisconsin. Rachel is a freelance graphic artist by trade, specifically motion graphics. When her husband lost his job, she had to add something to her animation work to make up for the lost income. She started looking into crowdSPRING.

I discovered cS 4 or 5 months ago, and trepidlyentered my first contest. I was totally ignored by the buyer. Then Ientered another one, and got a 2 star rating. I gave up. For a week. Itotally suck at couple more contests, and decide spec work IS evil. I'mout for good. For another week. I'm back. What is it with this place? Idecide to just have fun with this. I'm experimenting, I tell myself.Relax. One morning while eating a donut, browsing the job list, I finda project to enter. I kick out a logo in 10 minutes between breaking upfights between my kids, and I win a $200 contest! I start to talk aboutcS to everyone I know, and even those I don't know. I can't stoptalking about it. My husband threatens an intervention. I'm hooked.Never mind that I had higher paying animation work awaiting myattention. I was trying to remember how to use Illustrator. Word is I'mCRAZY for wasting my time on "evil" spec work, but I can't shake thefeeling that something HUGE is going on here. This community ofcreatives and buyers which has no boundaries. I love that I can decidewhen to work, how much to work. I don't have to call my clients andapologize for my kids puking last night and promise I'll have somethingdone after nap time. Plus, I find I really like designing logos. Andprint. And illustration. I still love animation too, but now I get tohave other experiences and it's all working together to make me abetter all around designer. I'm not burned out now. I can't wait tostart my day and jump into a project. I'm learning so much! It's makingme a better animator too.

Rachel told me she feels working with cS makes up for her remote location.

Pairing up with websites like crowdSpring make it possible for me to dobusiness with people from all over the world, from next door Minnesotato Ireland to Tanzania without spending a dime. I don't have to spendmoney or time promoting myself or finding clients, or invoicing them.For me this is the best way to work. I can focus just on my design, andI'm not held back by being in a rural area with no local clients orconnections. I can also afford to work on lower paying jobs becausemoney goes farther in my town than in a large city. I can get a lot ofgroceries at the local farmers market for $200.

I'm expecting a robust discussion on this topic. I'd love to hear your feelings on this subject.

Photo by Becky McCray

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Managing Your Social Media Marketing Time

2009-10-19T15:44:00.000-05:00

Do you sit down to spend 30 minutes checking your social networks, and then look up 3 hours later? Do you get sucked into Mr. Computer, like Sheila Scarborough says? Barry Moltz asked how to manage social media time at the Small Business, Big Impact panel at BlogWorld Expo. Here's the best answer I came up with.

Use a checklist.

Once you have created your simplified marketing plan, you will have a list of the services and networks you plan to use and how you plan to use them. With that information, make up a simple checklist of the networks you need to check, and any daily goals you have set.

Daily goals could include updating your Facebook and LinkedIn status, responding to all comments on your blog, tweeting five interesting links (not counting any links to your own stuff) on Twitter, and engaging a few friends in conversation. I made that list up, and you should customize your own list. Chris Brogan has his own list of social media tasks you could do daily.

Run off several copies of your checklist. Then when you sit down to do your daily networking, use it.

I hope this will help you feel more focused in your efforts, and give you a sense of accomplishment at the end of your work session.

How would you improve this idea?

Photo by Becky McCray

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Investor lessons for small town businesses

2009-10-18T01:32:00.001-05:00

Bob Jacoby is a business startup investor in Texas. He offers some advice to entrepreneurs: Make your idea work on the small scale first, then you can grow from there.

[Subscribers, you may need to click through to the site to see the video.]

Interviewed by Becky McCray at NASVF - the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds, Oklahoma City, September 2009

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