Small Biz Flash

FEATURE

Marketing is changing.  Your company is being discovered in ways that were not the case just a few years ago.  Research oftentimes no longer starts on a search engine, but they often end there.  So, figure out where your prospects are and go be with them on those spaces.

Resources mentioned:

SparkToro
https://sparktoro.com/

Today’s guest is Mickey Mellen, of GreenMellen:
Mickey’s ...

Join us for Illuminate 2025 on April 22!  Register here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/illuminate-spring-2025-tickets-1273764687469

Email me at adam@smallbizflash.com.

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NEWS ROUNDUP

1 – Tariffs are causing concern among small business owners.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/money/economy/survey-michigan-small-business-owners-shows-two-thirds-taking-steps-prepare-for-recession/69-dd2f9d65-c2b9-...

👀 Watch on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmFHZqDGRbOHXjhpicWuqhg.

📧 Do you want to grow your business?  I help small business owners succeed with strategy, marketing, and operations.  Email me today at adam@smallbizflash.com and let’s grow your business together! 

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Email me at adam@smallbizflash.com.

• Please give me feedback on the podcast.

Show web site: www.smallbizflash.com

Small business owners, have you ever tried sending out a press release about a new product or an event at your company, just to hear crickets chirping in response?  On today’s show, we’ll talk with an experienced PR professional about why most press releases flop, and what you can do to actually get results the next time you send a press release out to your community.

Today’s guest is Claire Angelle, Founder of Angelle Con...

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Small business owners, do you pay yourself a below-market wage to keep your business profitable?  Or maybe you take draws, but they might be sporadic and of varying amounts?  On today’s show, we’ll talk with an experienced accounting professional about how this practice is hurting your business and how you can fix your own compensation structure.

Today’s guest is Sharon Sheekey, Accounting Division Directo...

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Small business owners, have you ever considered buying out a competitor to expand your own company’s capabilities and customer base?  On today’s show, we’ll talk with a lending expert about how you can finance a business acquisition at up to 100% of the purchase price using an SBA loan.

Today’s guest is Laurence Leopold, SBA Senior Business Development Officer at IncredibleBank:
Laurence’s email:  lleo...

FEATURE

Google Trends is a powerful and completely free tool from Google that can help you stay ahead of the curve.  It will help you understand your customers, and can inform decision making on marketing, research & development, and more.

Google Trends:
https://trends.google.com/

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NEWS ROUNDUP

1 - The economy continues to be the #1 concern among small business owners, ...

NEWS ROUNDUP

1 - Small business owners continue to grapple with economic uncertainty, according to the National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index.
https://www.nfib.com/content/press-release/economy/small-business-owners-expectations-for-higher-sales-declined-in-january/

2 - Many small businesses are still unaware of the new Beneficial Ownership rule from the Treasury Department that went ...

FEATURE

The Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized its new independent contractor rule.  There are six factors that you must use to determine if a worker is a contractor or an employee.

The final rule goes into effect on March 11, 2024.

Misclassifying employees as independent contractors can result in lawsuits and penalties, among other costs.

DOL’s Small Entity Compliance Guide to the new rule:...

FEATURE

A fractional chief operating officer, or a FCOO, can help you make your business life wonderful, getting you back to doing what you love in the business, which is likely not overseeing the daily operational tasks.

* How to know when it is time to hire a fractional COO.
* How a fractional COO helps you as the business owner.
* What a fractional COO brings to the table.

Recommended reading: ...

NEWS ROUNDUP

1 – There’s reason for optimism about the economy in 2024, and that’s good news for small businesses.
https://www.wsj.com/economy/what-to-watch-in-fridays-spending-report-inflation-closing-in-on-feds-target-0778037d
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/26/the-us-avoided-a-recession-in-2023-whats-the-outlook-for-2024.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/01/business/5-reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-the-2024-econ...

FEATURE

* What is the different between public relations and marketing?
* What are the three tactics for PR?
* How does a small business get publicity?  How does the owner, who is usually the primary salesperson, get publicity?
* How much of your knowledge and information is it OK to share?

Today’s guest is Claire Angelle, Founder of Angelle Consulting:
Claire’s email:  claire@angelleconsulting.com...

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You’re probably familiar with Small Business Administration loans.  SBA loans, as they are commonly called, are partially backed by the federal government.

But there are other resources the SBA offers, some of which aren’t well known, which can benefit your company.  We’re going to discuss just a few today.

THRIVE
https://www.sbathrive.com/

Assistance for small businesses with procuri...

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To get the right candidates, you need to alight the job description with the actual need for the position.

Also, avoid giving your candidates a poor experience in the overall process from interviewing to onboarding.

Finally, don’t hire reactively, i.e., for short-term needs.  Think about your long-term needs instead.

Today’s conversation is based on the blog post, “8 Things That Can Cause...

FEATURE

Today, we continue our discussion of the book “Raving Fans” by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.  To create raving fans, the business must create a vision of the customer experience, but then, it must invite the customers themselves into the vision casting process.

Not everything the customers want will necessarily be a part of the final vision, but listening to customers is key.  Once customers’ vision ha...

FEATURE

To have a truly thriving business, one essential element is a customer base who are wildly enthusiastic about what your company offers, so much so, in fact, that they eagerly tell their family, friends, and neighbors.

In their book “Raving Fans,” Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles explain how having merely satisfied customers just doesn’t cut it.  Today, we’re going to unpack some of the book’s ideas and tal...

FEATURE

Every small business has different insurance needs, but almost all will need General Liability coverage.  And many will also need coverage included in a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP).

Other types of insurance could include Workers' Compensation, Employers Liability, Cyber Liability, Commercial Auto, and Errors and Omissions (aka Professional Liability).

Today’s guest is Jack Smith, of Valor I...

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Ranking high in search engines results, especially on Google, is a concern of most small businesses.  There are a few basic things you can do to help your site be found, like consistently creating good content (but you don’t have to write a blog post every day or even every week) and fully utilizing Google Business Profile.

ChatGPT can help you create content, but don’t depend on it to get you 100% of the ...

FEATURE

The Department of Homeland Security issued a new Form I-9, also known as the Employment Eligibility Form, on August 1.  If you have employees, you need to be completing an I-9 on every new hire and should have already completed an I-9 for every existing employee.  Penalties for non-compliance are stiff.

Today’s guest is Karen Moss, of Innovative Outsourcing:

Karen’s email:  kmoss@innovative-outsou...