The Brag Basket is open! This one is for April 5-7, 2019. Bring your good news, big or small, to share with everyone. What can you share in the Brag Basket?
Don’t like to brag? Just share some good news for someone you’re happy for. It’s a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other. How do you join in? Below this post is the comment section. Add your good news there. Reading this in your email? Hit reply. Some weeks you’ll find even more comments on our Facebook Page. Want to see some past Brag Baskets and read some past contributions? Here’s the archive.
from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/04/lets-clean-up-in-the-brag-basket.html
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Every small town has some empty windows downtown. Some are empty buildings, some are buildings being used for storage, and some are service businesses that just don’t have a lot to put in their windows. Here are three ideas I saw on my trip through Cowlitz County, Washington. Make a mini-museum.Work with the local museum to make a temporary display in the windows. This works even for tiny outdoors display cases, which you sometimes see on old jewelry store buildings. The photo at the top is a mini-museum display I saw in Castle Rock, Washington. Put in a white picket fenceThis picket fence was also in Castle Rock. The service business inside didn’t have a lot to put in their windows, so they filled them with this attractive alternative. Doodle on the windowsAn artistic person with some window chalk put these wonderful vines in the window in downtown Kelso, Washington. Much better than just an empty window. If you’re interested in filling empty buildings, have you thought about dividing them up into shared spaces? New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates. from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/04/ideas-to-fill-empty-display-windows.html
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for March 29-31, 2019. Bring your good news, big or small, to share with everyone. What can you share in the Brag Basket?
Don’t like to brag? Just share some good news for someone you’re happy for. It’s a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other. How do you join in? Below this post is the comment section. Add your good news there. Reading this in your email? Hit reply. Some weeks you’ll find even more comments on our Facebook Page. Want to see some past Brag Baskets and read some past contributions? Here’s the archive.
from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/03/brag-basket-3-29.html
A few weeks ago, we talked about knowing your customers in order to help them answer questions they get asked. This week, get to know your customers better by thinking through what they want to be good at. What do your customers want to be good at?You help customers all the time. The question today is what are you helping them be good at? If you help someone be better at something important to them, they’re more likely to want to work with you. Let’s look at 3 examples of local businesses and how they help people be better at something.
Think about your own business. What do your customers want to be better at? What things do you help them do well? Take a moment to jot some notes. Share information they need to be betterOf course your product, service or business helps customers, but you can go another step by creating content or information that helps them.
Share this info in words, photos, illustrations or video. Use live video, create your own blog, post on social media. Use whatever channels help you reach your customers. This is content marketing. The goal of sharing is more than just making customers better. It’s also about convincing them to work with you in particular. Entrepreneur Brian Clark said it this way:
Brian also suggested these questions to help you figure out how you are empowering customers to get better at something:
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates. from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/03/know-your-customers-what-do-they-want-to-be-good-at.html
There have been too many years of disinterest and disinvestment in rural America and at times I grow weary of defending the value of the rural place I call home to a national audience. I have read multiple articles about the rural underclass and the poverty that plagues our landscape from Bloomberg Business, NY Times, and Wall Street Journal. One of those articles written by Paul Krugman stated,
I need to ask, is your community living in this fairytale and just running on historical luck, like the author suggests? Or, are you investing in your community and taking responsibility for the inherent change that is affecting your future? We have all heard about the changing rural landscape from a national perspective…population decline, low median household income, high poverty, high unemployment, low wages, dilapidated housing, decaying Main Streets, etc. Yet, according to the 2010 Census research done by Ben Winchester of the University of Minnesota Extension Service,
When it comes to change, Ray Kurzweil, author of The Singularity is Near states,
This kind of fast-paced change means we have more choices and less time to make those choices. Today’s rural communities and the people willing to lead them need to be prepared for this environment. From my observation, communities that succeed in the face of change are connected to: data, outside resources, other communities, engaged residents, and global trends. Having insight about this ever-changing knowledge-base makes communities ready to move in a forward direction, quickly. Here is a story of Neligh, Nebraska. Neligh is a community that refused to begin their story with once upon a time or let themselves slip quietly into obscurity. Since 2012, this community of 1,600 people has seen a colossal reinvestment. Neligh has welcomed 27 new businesses – a 17 percent increase in total businesses – and transitioned 14 businesses to new ownership. Antelope County has seen more than $600 million in capital investment. In a few years, when they complete all the projects in their pipeline, capital investments will clear $1 billion. Neligh didn’t pull up its bootstraps by itself. They asked for help. Their network of partners is long: engaged citizens, local businesses, nonprofits, education community, elected officials and more. This story may sound like an overwhelming task or a one-of-a-kind success story. However, I am here to tell you that this kind of local development is realistic and beginning to take hold in many small communities because they are investing in themselves! Your community can replicate this type of development when residents like you are willing to be engaged and do the internal work necessary to establish a community development culture, clarify local values, and set priorities. This internal work is then balanced with external forces (e.g. resource providers, peer network, investors, developers, etc.) while seeking regular feedback, support, and advice from empowered community residents. Let’s invest in rural places and build a community development culture that believes we are not too small to have it all. #Iamrural from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/03/not-too-small-to-have-it-all.html
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for March 22-24, 2019. Bring your good news, big or small, to share with everyone. What can you share in the Brag Basket?
Don’t like to brag? Just share some good news for someone you’re happy for. It’s a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other. How do you join in? Below this post is the comment section. Add your good news there. Reading this in your email? Hit reply. Some weeks you’ll find even more comments on our Facebook Page. Want to see some past Brag Baskets and read some past contributions? Here’s the archive.
from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/03/brag-basket-3-22.html How to set up a community fruit and vegetable stand in your neighborhoodReprinted from Love Food, Hate Waste by permissionCommunity fruit and vegetable stands are popping up all around New Zealand, giving people a place where they can leave their excess produce for others to help themselves to.These little roadside structures are making a real difference in the fight against food waste by creating local sharing spaces for people to pass on food they don’t need. Created by Mark Dennis, the idea was to provide an avenue by which people could share excess produce from their gardens with their neighbours. What’s involved in setting up a community fruit and vegetable stand?You will need to find a suitable location, build or source a stand and find someone to manage the stand on an on-going basis. Where is a good place to put a stand?A stand should be easy for the public to find with parking available. Private property (with the owner’s permission) is the best place for the stand. Stands may be placed on the berm outside the property of the stand manager, however the berm is Council land so it is best to check with them, and your neighbours, before placing a stand on the berm. If possible, avoid placing it near shops, bars, parks and parking lots due to the risk of vandalism. Once you have decided on a location, please notify Community Fruit and Vegetable Stand founder Mark Dennis to have the site approved. It will then be added to the map. How do I build a stand?Stands should be large, strong and weather-proof to stop the food from getting wet. It should be made with treated wood. Check out the community fruit and vegetable stands Facebook group for examples of what other stands look like. If you are unable to build your own stand then you may be able to find a local handyman/woman, community group or builder to build the stand for you. Their logo can be added to the stand as a way to thank them for their support. How will people know where my stand is?Once your stand is built it will appear on the map. It is also a good idea to post about it in the Community Fruit and Vegetable Stand Facebook group. We encourage you to tell all of your neighbours about the stands, either with a letterbox drop (where allowed) or by using your local Facebook groups or social networks popular in your area. Can people donate food other than fresh fruit and vegetables?The stands are primarily for fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as eggs, but they can also take small donations of non-perishable foods, such as preserves or canned goods. Home baking is also accepted, but other cooked food is not. [Important note: check with local health regulations especially around any cooked or preserved items, as these vary by country, state/territory/province and locality] Any one dropping off food must ensure that it is fresh and suitable to eat at the time that it is dropped off. Donated eggs and baking should be labelled with the date they were collected or baked. Any one collecting food from the stands must make a reasonable attempt to check that they are happy with the quality of the food before they eat it. No responsibility is held by the person managing the stand or the person dropping off the food for the safety of the food once it has been collected. What ongoing work is there associated with the stand?There will need to be a designated stand manager. This is a really easy job which just requires to check the stand every day or two in order to remove any old or inedible produce. It is also helpful if you post regular social media updates to let people know what food is available at the stand. Want to know more?Go to Love Food, Hate Waste to download a copy of the complete guidelines. Small Biz Survival thanks Mark Dennis for granting permission to share this post here. New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates. from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/03/too-many-tomatoes-what-to-do-with-extra-garden-produce.html
The Brag Basket is open! This one is for March 15-17, 2019. Bring your good news, big or small, to share with everyone. What can you share in the Brag Basket?
Don’t like to brag? Just share some good news for someone you’re happy for. It’s a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other. How do you join in? Below this post is the comment section. Add your good news there. Reading this in your email? Hit reply. Some weeks you’ll find even more comments on our Facebook Page. Want to see some past Brag Baskets and read some past contributions? Here’s the archive.
from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/03/brag-basket-3-15.html The US economy has performed well over the past two years. Entrepreneurs have bought and sold small businesses for record amounts. And small business owners get approved for bank loans easily. Yet, heading into the first quarter of 2019, 43% of small and medium-sized businesses say they have prepared for a recession. Or the say they plan to prepare. Are these businesses seeing more than what the economic indicators are showing? Well, small businesses feel the impact of changes in the economy earlier than large companies. And the latest Private Capital Access Index (PCA Index) says small business are expressing caution about borrowing capital. Small Businesses Are Cautious About Borrowing CapitalDirector of the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project Dr. Craig R. Everett highlights the precautions these businesses are taking. Everett explains what the data shows in a release issued with the report. “Business interest in borrowing to grow and expand appears to have plateaued. Many businesses are playing it safe by maintaining more informal sources of funds and running their business with an eye on cash flow and profitability.” Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and Dun & Bradstreet conduct the PCA Index Survey Responses Trend Analysis upon which the report is based. And the index is published quarterly from responses gathered between January 24-February 4, 2019. The index seeks to measure the demand for private capital. And it also attempts to gauge the health of the private capital markets. This includes determining the demand for small business financing. But it also takes into consideration access to private capital, and private financing market policies. Survey ResultsRespondents in the survey said they are tapping into informal or short sources of credit. These sources replace going to traditional funding institutions. The financing sources small businesses will be seeking out 2019 are personal and business credit cards at 78% and using friends and family at 76%. The index says this is the highest reported rates for the three options since it started keeping track in 2012. The challenges for accessing capital was higher for minorities. Minority-Owned BusinessesCapital challenges for minority-owned business will not get better in 2019. Sixty percent said the financing environment is restricting their growth opportunities for their business. The number is 13% higher than the whole sample of businesses (47%). Because of the financial difficulties, minorities owned businesses said it will negatively affect their hiring (66%). But they are more optimistic than the whole sample about their performance in 2019. Almost half or 48% said they will be substantially better than in 2018, while only 28% of the whole sample said the same. In terms of growth, 57% said they are extremely confident their business will grow in 2019 compared to 41% for the whole sample. Nalanda Matia, lead economist at Dun & Bradstreet, said things can get worse for minority-owned businesses if the economy stumbles. Matia said, “While the current lending environment is steady at the moment, an economic downturn is a greater risk for these types of businesses who are already facing challenges in a healthy lending environment.” Even while businesses are looking for alternative source of credit, the vast majority said they are extremely confident (41%) and somewhat confident (46%) their business will grow in 2019. Only 10% said they are somewhat unconfident with 2% adding they are extremely unconfident. As to the challenges, 28% said finding and retaining profitable customers would be an issue in 2019. Attracting and retaining a quality workforce will be a problem for 21%, and getting capital to grow rounds up the top three challenges with 12%. The survey also raised the recent government shutdown and whether it had a negative impact on SMBs. The Government ShutdownThe latest government shutdown was the longest on record, but the full impact on the economy is still to be determined. During the shutdown, the economy added 300K jobs and for most of the respondents in the survey, it didn’t have a negative impact. More than 4 in 5 or 82% said the government shutdown had no impact, with 13% stating it negatively impacted their business. The remaining 5% said it impacted their ability to pay their bills on time. Image: Depositphotos.com This article, "43% of Small and Medium Sized Businesses Preparing for Recession" was first published on Small Business Trends from https://smallbiztrends.com/2019/03/small-businesses-are-cautious-about-borrowing-capital.html
Guest Post by Deb Brown When I visited Decatur County, Iowa, several people said that wanted a brewery. They talked about the big barriers in their way: finding the right building, the right funding, the right people. The big idea seems really hard this way. Why not start smaller? Start by using the Idea Friendly Method: Gather Your Crowd, Build Connections, Take Small Steps. Here are some of the questions I suggested they ask themselves and each other to help them start small. Gather Your Crowd
Invite them to come together, over a beer, and talk about the big idea of having a microbrewery. Talk to each other, think about all the ideas. Build Connections
Take Small Steps
Again, bring people together, over a beer, to talk about the possibilities! Apply this Idea Friendly Method to your own big ideaAny idea to make your town a better place can follow the Idea Friendly method. If you’d like some help to see how that would work in your town, check out the SaveYour.Town video Big Ideas? Small Steps!
from https://smallbizsurvival.com/2019/03/how-do-you-start-a-microbrewery-with-micro-steps.html |
ABOUT MEHello I am Dian Arispe 28 years old from Miami. I love reading articles about business consulting and like to learn more about it. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |