Outside of your business plan and targets and forecasting, what do you want to achieve this year? As a small business owner, it’s so easy to forget the less hardnosed things we always wanted to achieve. Those vague aspirations like ‘giving back’ and ‘maybe taking a break from emails sometimes.’ I hope we can say […]
Once you’re an expert (don’t listen to that imposter syndrome) in your field of business, you can make nice money speaking about what you do. With so much happening online now, it’s actually easier than ever because organisers can accommodate more speakers per event. Decide your areas of expertise Your area of expertise sounds like […]
Get a head-start on the spring cleaning with these five website updates to keep your business fresh in 2022. Just a few small tweaks can make a lot of difference in your ranking and overall performance. User experience, accuracy, aesthetics, accessibility and buzz around your website – all covered. Whatever 2022 brings, we’re starting it […]
We’re all fighting for staff. Small businesses have lost money over the last year no matter what the sector, and between Covid and recruitment issues, just keeping the doors open has been tough. When I say it’s a worker’s market, I mean it. While the pandemic forced some people to find new jobs, it also […]
Showing the world that our business contains experts can be an important part of our brand building, whatever our sector. Using that expertise to generate content is great, but true thought leadership is something more than content creation. Something special. A spark. What is thought leadership? Thought leadership means having the knowledge and experience to […]
Instagram is a visual social media platform. Very visual. It’s a place for sharing makeup looks, dank memes, glamorous holidays, your avocado-featuring lunch and millions of selfies. Small businesses that offer beautiful products, like jewellery designers and artists, have done incredibly well from Instagram, often without even paying for advertising. It’s a platform that feeds […]
In 2021, there’s probably a very good reason you haven’t started selling online. The bricks and mortar experience could be a central part of your brand, or you’re a brand-new enterprise that’s selling locally. Now, we’ve all got to scramble to adjust our offering. Developing your business’s service, products, experience and brand to fit our […]
A tagline or slogan is like a written logo. Taste the rainbow. Beanz Meanz Heinz. Never knowingly undersold. It’s a bit of shorthand for your brand that tells the world the character of your business. Your essence, your promise, your special sauce. It shouldn’t be too literal and it must invoke a feeling. The most […]
You’ve taken the plunge. You’re ready to answer to no one but yourself. And that means it’s time for your small business marketing plan. There’s an awful lot of thinking required for puzzling out how to start working for yourself, but one place to start is with your offering. What is it your business is […]
I’m in the business of coming up with the reason a business is doing something AFTER they’ve already started doing it. It happens. Most companies are busy doing, so when the time comes that they suddenly need documentation of all that stuff (for a bank loan, an investor or even to sell the business), someone’s […]