Category Archives: Business

8 Things We Learned About Small Businesses During the Last Two Years

It was nearly two years ago, in the final week of February 2020, when I received the first phone call that alerted me that something serious was afoot.  I had been monitoring the reports about COVID since December of 2019, when news on CNBC first brought it to my attention.  It seemed obvious that thereContinue reading “8 Things We Learned About Small Businesses During the Last Two Years”

Short Stories on Failures to Exit

Today, I would like to share a couple of stories. Part 1: The Missed Opportunity A few years back, I worked with the buyer of a reasonably successful business. It turned out that the buyer was a key employee, and the seller, after 30 years or so in business, had decided it was time toContinue reading “Short Stories on Failures to Exit”

Common Email Mistakes that Derail Success

I can’t tell you how many times I see emails with some phrases or grammatical issues that simply drive me nuts. Like the email writer who ends every sentence with a ‘?’.  Especially if it is a declarative sentence?  I just haven’t figured that one out yet? Or the person that goes to ALL CAPS BECAUSEContinue reading “Common Email Mistakes that Derail Success”

Why Influencer Marketing Makes No Sense for Small Business

I was reading this article from eMarketer about influencer marketing, and I was attempting to wrap my head around how a small business might utilize such a tool to help promote their business.  The article was primarily about disclosure, but I have been getting these kinds of questions periodically, about whether an influencer strategy makesContinue reading “Why Influencer Marketing Makes No Sense for Small Business”

Framework for a Go-To Market Strategy

There are plenty of models out there for determining the proper approach for a sales-first or marketing-first strategy.  For a startup or a business undergoing a transformation those decisions may not be as clearly defined as one might think.  I have been looking for a simplified model with some straightforward examples to help better explainContinue reading “Framework for a Go-To Market Strategy”

Why ROI is Often the Wrong Measure for Marketing Investment

Check out this great article on Forbes about Return on Marketing Investment. I have long held the opinion that ROI should NOT be the only source of evaluating marketing success. The article here is a great summary of why that is the case, and why ROMI (Return on MARKETING Investment), should be. I like toContinue reading “Why ROI is Often the Wrong Measure for Marketing Investment”

The Minimum Wage Conundrum

Let me start off by stating for the record that I have no objection to people making money, and even a “living wage” – the definition of which may seem to be an arbitrary moving target.  We should not have poverty in what we have self-promoted as the greatest nation in the world. Don’t misunderstandContinue reading “The Minimum Wage Conundrum”