Start ups
Small business tips: mobile technology, the iPad, and your business
Mike | October 3rd, 2011Last week I was struck by a news story that was unusual in several respects. I turned on the news to see video of a small group of rock climbers rappelling down the exterior of the Washington Monument. The sported the typical gear one would expect to see on such folks: harnesses, helmets, ropes, and [...]
Lean Marketing tips: business card as selling tool
Mike | September 26th, 2011Just about everybody has one. Your desk has probably is littered with little piles of them. I would be willing to bet good money, that right now you have a few of your own in your wallet or purse. In the past year you have probably handed out and received literally hundreds of these tiny [...]
Problems Are Opportunities, Not Threats
Ross | September 13th, 2011“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein Most people see problems as threats, not opportunities. It’s natural, when we see problems as threats, to try to solve those problems quickly by doing what worked for us previously in solving similar problems. That’s [...]
Small business and startup tips: 5 traps of business branding
Mike | August 15th, 2011Several weeks ago I wrote a post on branding a business in tough competitive environments. I discussed the importance of defining a frame of reference, leveraging points of parity, and articulating your brand’s points of differentiation. Today I want to talk about some of the pitfalls a business can become victim to when establishing a [...]
Tips On Defining The Size of a Market for a Startup Business
Ross | July 19th, 2011It’s important to properly measure the size the market in which you hope to compete. Without this information, it’s very difficult to raise funds, understand how much you can/should spend on product development and marketing, evaluate the success of your marketing efforts, etc. In the following video, I offer five suggestions that can help you [...]
Small business and startup tips: training day!
Mike | July 18th, 2011Just like our larger brethren in the Fortune 100, lots of small businesses have training programs for their workers: lectures, classes, role-playing exercises, and motivational speaker sessions. However, most small businesses and startups ignore training programs altogether, or cobble together ad hoc strategies when on-boarding new hires. These differing approaches are sometimes stylistic, sometimes strategic, [...]
