Posts Tagged ‘Strategy’
Lean vs. Mean – Small Business and Responsibility
Mike | February 11th, 2013I have written often about strategies small business can use to operate modestly, spend wisely, and reduce cost by taking a lean approach to operations, marketing, and production. At crowdSPRING we try hard to manage our business and our team using tactics and strategy that have allowed us to construct a sustainable business, provide value [...]
How To Avoid Disaster In Your Small Business Digital Marketing Efforts
Ross | January 22nd, 2013Small businesses are changing how they spend their money on digital marketing. These changes are driven, in part, by the growth of social networks and media platforms. For example, in a recent report from BIA/Kelsey, 63% of SMBs said they use social media as a marketing tool for their business. In the last five years, [...]
The Work/Home Möbius Strip
Mike | January 21st, 2013Today is Sunday and, as is the case with most Sundays, I am working at home. Not a ton of work, mind you. I will probably put in 4-5 hours today: writing this post, updating BI data, checking in with customer service, and answering the emails that demand attention. I also was abe to cook [...]
The Science of Productivity: How To Get More Done In Less Time
Ross | January 17th, 2013Most successful entrepreneurs and small business owners are highly productive and efficient. Imagine what you can accomplish if you could do more in less time! Did you know there is a science of productivity? Many studies have shown that certain practices substantially increase productivity, while other practices make it more difficult for us to meet [...]
Small business Congress-watch: Two Reasons to Call Your Representative!
Mike | January 14th, 2013On occasion we take a look at recent legislation coming out of our Federal government in Washington. While the news is often discouraging and the activities of our politicians typically frustrating, there are those times when truly great ideas are put forth and, every so often, these idea become actual laws. Hard to believe, but it is [...]
Small Business and Startups: 5 Threats to Your Online Security
Mike | January 7th, 2013How often do we read about online security breaches, loss of data, or massive credit card theft? While these events typically involve larger companies or even governments, all businesses are vulnerable to fraud, theft, or other forms of malice or just plain mischief. Most small businesses assume that it is only larger companies are at [...]
The Power of Thinking Long-Term
Ross | December 19th, 2012Amazon is an unusual company. It focuses on the long-term (typically 10 to 20 years) instead of short term (typically quarterly earnings). For example, in talking about the Kindle, Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, offers the following insight: Go back in time when we started working on Kindle almost seven years ago. There you just have [...]
What Job Are Your Customers Hiring Your Products To Perform?
Ross | December 18th, 2012If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner developing a new product or service, how can you figure out what jobs people want done that they have difficulty doing? If you have an existing product or service, how can you improve that product or service to increase sales? Clay Christensen suggests an interesting approach: [...]
