Posts Tagged ‘startups’
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 [...]
Small business news: the debt ceiling deal. Good for small biz, or not so much?
Mike | August 8th, 2011After an incredibly painful ordeal, the United States Congress gave birth to a new piece of legislation last week; the deal averted a debt crisis, trimmed the federal government’s budget by trillions of dollars, increased the amount of money the government is authorized to borrow, and has the potential to impact the lives of millions [...]
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, [...]
Marketing 101: Branding your business in a competitive environment
Mike | July 11th, 2011Establishing a brand in a competitive environment can be challenging for any business, particularly small businesses and startups. Not every business represents a “new-to-the-world” idea, and not every company has the luxury of exclusive ownership of a market segment. There are literally thousands of examples this: a new entrant in a market establishes a brand [...]
America’s founding entrepreneurs: revolution at work
Mike | July 5th, 2011On this Independence Day, 2011 I have been thinking about the summer of ’76 and America’s Founding Fathers. Their importance to the world has been analyzed every way imaginable; thousands of books have been written about their efforts and accomplishments, and they are held up to generations as examples of great political and military leaders. [...]
