• A Distinctive Illumination of Business
Dentist in Vending Machine

Dear Dr. Dentist—Why are You Making it So Hard to Choose You?

Dear Dr. Dentist, Good to know you graduated from Whatever University 20 years ago and have every degree you can possibly get and that you have the lastest and greatest cutting-edge, state-of-the-art whizbang equipment and fancy 3d, 4d or 5d oral scanner and that all your dentists in your office are Wellness Dentists ( whatever …

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My Brand Power is Your Brand Power

Brand Power – It’s Not Transferrable

A client of mine informed me this morning that someone broached him about selling one of his marketing channels. The buyer wants to merge it into his existing brand. Seeing that the buyer neither has a functioning website nor a brand that I can find, I suspect he thinks he is going to get brand …

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the boy who harnessed the wind

Innovation Does Not Wait for Things to Get Easier

Yesterday I posted a link to the movie “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”. But I couldn’t really put into words why I like this movie and why I think you should see it. Because I think there is a lesson here for small businesspeople. I believe many small businesspeople are not as innovative as …

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No Image

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

If you haven’t seen this movie, you should. Or read the book. Great story of perseverance – with a little out of the box thinking – and how some of the greatest ideas come from the need to help others

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website maintenance

Like Your Car, Don’t Neglect Website Maintenance.

Picture yourself driving along a dry, desolate stretch of highway through the desert. Sun blazing down unmercifully. Heat rising up from the blacktop. Nothing for miles. Suddenly, the check engine light blinks on. You get a little nervous. “I’m sure it’s no big deal,” you tell yourself. You glance at the peeling oil change sticker …

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Marketing is a Companywide Affair

Marketing is a Companywide Affair

When I was designing trade show booth graphics, clients would send us their booth before and after each show. Before the show to check that panels fit correctly and after to make sure nothing was damaged before going into storage. Without fail, one clients’ booth case would return after each show with the bottom littered …

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blank stare doll

Customer Service Starts with the Store Frontline

Ever walk into a store and ask a question about a product and get: Met with a blank stare. A look of utter terror that you are even talking to them. “I don’t know. Let me find out” and walks off never to return. An eye roll or look of disgust as if you are …

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alone on a vast plain

Hey, Small Business Owner, You are not Alone.

Being a small business owner can be a very lonely experience. You can feel isolated – even when surrounded by others. The pressures of getting the work done, keeping things on track, payroll, bills, putting out daily fires. You tell yourself that you can get through this if you just keep plugging along. Work harder. …

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Everyone is Not Your Customer

I have been to enough networking events or business social gatherings over the years to say that the number one answer I hear to this question “Who are your customers?” is Everyone! I will cop to that. I too was guilty of this misnomer at the very beginning of my business until I was set …

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Dorothy Wizard of Oz

Dorothy, Oz and Your About Us Page

Your About Us page is your chance to give potential clients a chance to get to know you and see what you’re or your organization is all about.   What makes you tick. A peek into your soul, so to speak. Why is this important? Let’s try a test . We all know the story …

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