Free daily tips, information, advice, and ideas
to help you better manage your small business.
Sometimes a good idea for your business is lurking in your past. Taking a look over your shoulder can be productive--you might find ideas to increase sales and expand.
Example: In the past, a restaurant faxed daily menus to regular customers. But faxes became, well, so yesterday. Today, the restaurant has an app for customers to access the daily menu, specials, place an order or reserve a table. An old idea is re-born.
Ideas from the past can come alive again, upgraded to keep pace with today's technology.
Example: Doctors wear white coats in their offices and clinics. One doctor has hung up his white coat for the last time. He decided to re-introduce the house call. Today, he sees elderly and indigent patients in their own homes. His office is in the trunk of his car. He is busier than ever, and patients avoid emergency room visits and hospital stays. And they love the personal attention.
Sometimes, discarded methods can make sense again, even in today's brave new world.
Example: A computer expert discontinued the training sessions he once provided. Although the sessions were popular, he noticed a decline in attendance and interest. He stopped them. It was a bad decision. The furious pace of today's technology has left clients more confused than ever. So he re-structured and re-introduced his training sessions to be less detailed. The re-focus has worked. Instead of trying to educate clients in the weeds of computing technology, programming, and troubleshooting methods, he now provides introductory sessions. His formerly detailed training sessions have today become overview sessions. They are more quickly understood and appreciated by attendees. And they have led to referrals and new clients for his expanding on-site business of repairing, troubleshooting, and networking computers at the offices of clients.
Discarding yesterday's ways of doing business can work against you. Better to take a second look, re-format and re-introduce ways you used in the past. This can offer new business opportunities in today's business world.
Small businesses are fleet of foot. You can change very quickly. In your own business, if you spot a method that that worked in the past, but you've discarded, re-examine it. With a little tweaking, it might work again.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Just-in-time deliveries
Free tips, information, advice, and ideas
to help you better manage your small business.
Big companies pride themselves on efficient operations. Just-in-time deliveries are part of this. They don't want delivery of input materials until they need them. For example, this relieves auto manufacturers of the need to store and handle input parts ahead of actual need.
Small businesses need to take better advantage of just-in-time. Owners can use the concept coming and going.
If you are selling to big companies, you already know that they don't want delivery ahead of the time they need your products. If you are buying products from suppliers, you can specify when you want the delivery. Just-in-time works for both incoming and outgoing stuff.
Examples: If you are a hypnotherapist specializing in pain relief, you schedule your client's appointment following their surgery--not at your convenience. If you sell supplies to electrical and plumbing contractors, you know that they want to pick up materials on the way to their daily jobs. If you are a tool rental shop, you supply landscapers early in the morning on their way to a job. If you sell goods to customers located out of your area, you ship via UPS or Fedex or the U. S. Postal Service, targeting the arrival date wanted by your customer.
Notice that the preceding examples are for outgoing goods and services. Here you are complying with the needs of your clients and customers. But you can use just-in-time for materials and services incoming to you.
Examples: If you have an on-going maintenance contract to troubleshoot and maintain your computer setup, you schedule the technician to come in at times convenient to you--not at his convenience. If you run a restaurant offering farm fresh foods, you tell the farmer to deliver fresh lettuce and herbs on the morning you'll be needing them--not when the farmer wants to move product. If you are a caterer and you have a big wedding coming up, you order a spacious tent to be delivered and set up on the grounds the day before the event, not at the convenience of the rental center. If you run a vehicle repair shop, you want deliveries of parts from the supplier just before you need to install them--not several days ahead.
Look around. Put on your thinking cap. Put the just-in-time concept to work in your small business. It can save you time and money.
You already use just-in-time. When you get down to the last ink cartridge for your printer, you place an order for more. And when the fuel gauge in your vehicle starts to shake hands with the big "E" you begin looking for a service station.
to help you better manage your small business.
Big companies pride themselves on efficient operations. Just-in-time deliveries are part of this. They don't want delivery of input materials until they need them. For example, this relieves auto manufacturers of the need to store and handle input parts ahead of actual need.
Small businesses need to take better advantage of just-in-time. Owners can use the concept coming and going.
If you are selling to big companies, you already know that they don't want delivery ahead of the time they need your products. If you are buying products from suppliers, you can specify when you want the delivery. Just-in-time works for both incoming and outgoing stuff.
Examples: If you are a hypnotherapist specializing in pain relief, you schedule your client's appointment following their surgery--not at your convenience. If you sell supplies to electrical and plumbing contractors, you know that they want to pick up materials on the way to their daily jobs. If you are a tool rental shop, you supply landscapers early in the morning on their way to a job. If you sell goods to customers located out of your area, you ship via UPS or Fedex or the U. S. Postal Service, targeting the arrival date wanted by your customer.
Notice that the preceding examples are for outgoing goods and services. Here you are complying with the needs of your clients and customers. But you can use just-in-time for materials and services incoming to you.
Examples: If you have an on-going maintenance contract to troubleshoot and maintain your computer setup, you schedule the technician to come in at times convenient to you--not at his convenience. If you run a restaurant offering farm fresh foods, you tell the farmer to deliver fresh lettuce and herbs on the morning you'll be needing them--not when the farmer wants to move product. If you are a caterer and you have a big wedding coming up, you order a spacious tent to be delivered and set up on the grounds the day before the event, not at the convenience of the rental center. If you run a vehicle repair shop, you want deliveries of parts from the supplier just before you need to install them--not several days ahead.
Look around. Put on your thinking cap. Put the just-in-time concept to work in your small business. It can save you time and money.
You already use just-in-time. When you get down to the last ink cartridge for your printer, you place an order for more. And when the fuel gauge in your vehicle starts to shake hands with the big "E" you begin looking for a service station.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Moving on
Free daily tips, information, advice, and ideas
to help you better manage your small business.
A business is a living thing. The baby is born and begins to find its way in the world. Just as a parent nourishes and guides the child into maturity, your business needs feeding and guidance.
Businesses tend to move in a certain direction. It's determined by the marketplace. If people are buying certain types of shoes, your shoe shop will naturally stock the shoes that sell. If homeowners no longer want wallpaper on their walls, you begin to specialize in painting walls. If car buyers no longer want station wagons, the manufacturers stop making them.
So the marketplace pulls businesses in one direction or another. The marketplace can turn a nutritionist into a weight reduction specialist. A gift shop can become a cooperative for artists. A local baker can close the bricks-and-mortar store and concentrate on selling only brownies on the Internet.
The marketplace is a restless beast. It's constantly changing. You cannot jump in every direction that opens up. You must choose, based on most likely outcomes--and your own business plan. Is this new direction enough to support your business? Is it a passing fad that won't last? Does it represent a permanent change in direction for the marketplace?
Example: Ralph has been repairing televisions for more than 40 years. He also repairs stereo systems, VCRs, and other electronics--but not computers. Several years ago he noticed more and more people bringing him stereo systems. He thought those days were long gone, but he looked into the market. He found many people who had LP music collections, and they needed a way to play them. He began putting the word out on social media and attracted lots of paying customers. They came for repairs and they also came to sell their old systems to him. He now offers old stereos for sale, and he has largely transformed his old TV repair business into his new shop offering stereo systems and repair.
More examples: (1) Cars once had hubcaps. They were supplied to vehicle manufacturers by small companies. Then, suddenly, hubcaps disappeared. (2) Several years ago, gluten-free foods were unheard of. Today, they are everywhere. (3) High-maintenance lawns once kept landscapers busy. Then, the wildflower look attracted many homeowners. Lawns became passe. (4) Clothing cleaners today must be prepared to deal with clothing impregnated with micro-deodorants as well as wicking weaves in garments. (5) Small machine shops still turn out products needed by big companies, aerospace, health care industry, manufacturers, and more. Today, 3-D printing technology is making rapid gains, displacing many of the older machine shop methods. (6) Big companies today depend on smaller firms to furnish temporary placement of personnel--engineers, accountants, and other specialists are hired only for a particular project instead of adding permanent employees. (7) Primarily due to government regulations, many more part time employees are added today than in the past.
Market forces are everywhere. They continually change and they affect your business. Keep on top of the market or you might be blindsided. Changes in technology tend to unfold in the marketplace very rapidly. The resulting tsunami can wipe out a small business overnight.
Don't be caught unawares. The market can cause you to inch off in a direction you might not want. On the other hand, the market can alert you to future directions you can take.
to help you better manage your small business.
A business is a living thing. The baby is born and begins to find its way in the world. Just as a parent nourishes and guides the child into maturity, your business needs feeding and guidance.
Businesses tend to move in a certain direction. It's determined by the marketplace. If people are buying certain types of shoes, your shoe shop will naturally stock the shoes that sell. If homeowners no longer want wallpaper on their walls, you begin to specialize in painting walls. If car buyers no longer want station wagons, the manufacturers stop making them.
So the marketplace pulls businesses in one direction or another. The marketplace can turn a nutritionist into a weight reduction specialist. A gift shop can become a cooperative for artists. A local baker can close the bricks-and-mortar store and concentrate on selling only brownies on the Internet.
The marketplace is a restless beast. It's constantly changing. You cannot jump in every direction that opens up. You must choose, based on most likely outcomes--and your own business plan. Is this new direction enough to support your business? Is it a passing fad that won't last? Does it represent a permanent change in direction for the marketplace?
Example: Ralph has been repairing televisions for more than 40 years. He also repairs stereo systems, VCRs, and other electronics--but not computers. Several years ago he noticed more and more people bringing him stereo systems. He thought those days were long gone, but he looked into the market. He found many people who had LP music collections, and they needed a way to play them. He began putting the word out on social media and attracted lots of paying customers. They came for repairs and they also came to sell their old systems to him. He now offers old stereos for sale, and he has largely transformed his old TV repair business into his new shop offering stereo systems and repair.
More examples: (1) Cars once had hubcaps. They were supplied to vehicle manufacturers by small companies. Then, suddenly, hubcaps disappeared. (2) Several years ago, gluten-free foods were unheard of. Today, they are everywhere. (3) High-maintenance lawns once kept landscapers busy. Then, the wildflower look attracted many homeowners. Lawns became passe. (4) Clothing cleaners today must be prepared to deal with clothing impregnated with micro-deodorants as well as wicking weaves in garments. (5) Small machine shops still turn out products needed by big companies, aerospace, health care industry, manufacturers, and more. Today, 3-D printing technology is making rapid gains, displacing many of the older machine shop methods. (6) Big companies today depend on smaller firms to furnish temporary placement of personnel--engineers, accountants, and other specialists are hired only for a particular project instead of adding permanent employees. (7) Primarily due to government regulations, many more part time employees are added today than in the past.
Market forces are everywhere. They continually change and they affect your business. Keep on top of the market or you might be blindsided. Changes in technology tend to unfold in the marketplace very rapidly. The resulting tsunami can wipe out a small business overnight.
Don't be caught unawares. The market can cause you to inch off in a direction you might not want. On the other hand, the market can alert you to future directions you can take.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Trust your employees
Free daily tips, information, advice and ideas
to help you better manage your small business.
To grow your business, you must organize and trust your employees. They are the foundation on which you can build.
Many owners and managers are control freaks. They hire people who will do exactly what they are told to do--and nothing more. This is a mistake if you want to grow.
You must train employees. They must know what their responsibilities are, where the limits are, and when to turn to you for additional input. Then you turn them loose, step aside, and monitor from a distance.
Employees are naturally inventive and they put that to work in their daily tasks. You and your business are limited by what you alone can do. If you turn your employees loose and help them grow, your business can take off. If you try to tell them every little detail of their daily jobs, then your business will never grow beyond the hours available to you.
Example: Bob runs a small machine shop. He's the first one to arrive in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening. He spends his day walking the floor, watching everything, showing his employees how to do their jobs, inspecting their work. In short, Bob is a classic micro-manager. Nothing escapes his attention and his input. His business has not grown beyond the limitations of this type of management.
Example: Bill also runs a small machine shop. He trains his employees and lets them handle their jobs. He inspects final products before shipping, but he is training one employee to do this. He noticed the advent of 3-D printing technology. He installed one of the new machines together with the computer to run it. He has hired a new computer technician/programmer and is on the way to expanding his business. And he is training his older employees in the new technology.
Managing a business means training your employees. Your ultimate success--and theirs--depends on your turning loose. Your employees are closer to the actual day-to-day grind than you are. This means that they can learn, improve, and grow a better organization than you can acting alone to monitor every detail.
Trust your employees. You don't give up control. Your organize your controls and back away.
Whether you run your own business or manage a unit in a large corporation, see to the training of your employees. Then turn them loose, watching everything from a distance.
to help you better manage your small business.
To grow your business, you must organize and trust your employees. They are the foundation on which you can build.
Many owners and managers are control freaks. They hire people who will do exactly what they are told to do--and nothing more. This is a mistake if you want to grow.
You must train employees. They must know what their responsibilities are, where the limits are, and when to turn to you for additional input. Then you turn them loose, step aside, and monitor from a distance.
Employees are naturally inventive and they put that to work in their daily tasks. You and your business are limited by what you alone can do. If you turn your employees loose and help them grow, your business can take off. If you try to tell them every little detail of their daily jobs, then your business will never grow beyond the hours available to you.
Example: Bob runs a small machine shop. He's the first one to arrive in the morning and the last one to leave in the evening. He spends his day walking the floor, watching everything, showing his employees how to do their jobs, inspecting their work. In short, Bob is a classic micro-manager. Nothing escapes his attention and his input. His business has not grown beyond the limitations of this type of management.
Example: Bill also runs a small machine shop. He trains his employees and lets them handle their jobs. He inspects final products before shipping, but he is training one employee to do this. He noticed the advent of 3-D printing technology. He installed one of the new machines together with the computer to run it. He has hired a new computer technician/programmer and is on the way to expanding his business. And he is training his older employees in the new technology.
Managing a business means training your employees. Your ultimate success--and theirs--depends on your turning loose. Your employees are closer to the actual day-to-day grind than you are. This means that they can learn, improve, and grow a better organization than you can acting alone to monitor every detail.
Trust your employees. You don't give up control. Your organize your controls and back away.
Whether you run your own business or manage a unit in a large corporation, see to the training of your employees. Then turn them loose, watching everything from a distance.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Deja vu businesses
Free daily tips, information, advice and ideas
to help you better manage your small business
What's old can be new again. It happens with every generation when it discovers what went before. Grandma wasn't so old-fashioned after all.
Small businesses can take advantage of this phenomenon. A deja vu business can have the feel of an antique shop or a collectibles store or an Ebay presence.
The market for deja vu clothing is limited, but it is nonetheless real and buyers have the money to indulge their passion. Deja vu clothing can also spark the creative juices of designers to produce edgy outfits for today's market.
Example: Dolly runs a local store that is similar to a thrift shop. She specializes in vintage and antique clothing only. The place is packed with women's and men's clothing and accessories from bygone eras. Dresses, hats, purses and jewelry from the 1920s onward fill the racks and display cases. Remember when men wore Nehru jackets and leisure suits? Customers come from far and near to Dolly's store--teens looking for a new look, designers looking for ideas, theater people looking for period outfits, party goers planning unusual events. Dolly follows today's trends with an eye to the past. When she finds items from the Victorian era, they go up on her website and Ebay.
Example: James has tapped into the renewed interest in old LPs. You remember those big discs that played at 33-1/3 rpm? Well, there is a growing market for them among people who insist that the quality of sound cannot be matched by today's digital formats. So James opened a shop specializing in LPs made during the 1950s through the 1990s. He has thousands of LPs for sale in all music categories. He also offers stereo systems that can play them. Customers come from all over to his shop to browse and buy. He also has a website and offers LPs on Ebay.
Example: Roberto spotted another type of deja vu business. He specializes in repairing and rebuilding old vacuum cleaners, building on his experience that dates back some 50 years. People who know the difference come to Roberto to repair and maintain their old vacuum cleaner. Or new customers come to buy a 30-year old machine. It's because decades ago these machines were made with all metal parts. They don't wear out like the present day vacuum cleaners made with plastic parts. Roberto's shop has no recently made machines.
Don't think you must offer only the glitz and glitter of today's technological marvels in that business you love. There is still a market in the older products.
Pinball machines, anyone? Juke boxes? Board games and jigsaw puzzles? Old radios and televisions? How about manual typewriters?
When people today discover what went on before their time, a market develops. Deja vu businesses crop up all the time to serve that market. Last time I looked, the collectibles market was alive and well.
to help you better manage your small business
What's old can be new again. It happens with every generation when it discovers what went before. Grandma wasn't so old-fashioned after all.
Small businesses can take advantage of this phenomenon. A deja vu business can have the feel of an antique shop or a collectibles store or an Ebay presence.
The market for deja vu clothing is limited, but it is nonetheless real and buyers have the money to indulge their passion. Deja vu clothing can also spark the creative juices of designers to produce edgy outfits for today's market.
Example: Dolly runs a local store that is similar to a thrift shop. She specializes in vintage and antique clothing only. The place is packed with women's and men's clothing and accessories from bygone eras. Dresses, hats, purses and jewelry from the 1920s onward fill the racks and display cases. Remember when men wore Nehru jackets and leisure suits? Customers come from far and near to Dolly's store--teens looking for a new look, designers looking for ideas, theater people looking for period outfits, party goers planning unusual events. Dolly follows today's trends with an eye to the past. When she finds items from the Victorian era, they go up on her website and Ebay.
Example: James has tapped into the renewed interest in old LPs. You remember those big discs that played at 33-1/3 rpm? Well, there is a growing market for them among people who insist that the quality of sound cannot be matched by today's digital formats. So James opened a shop specializing in LPs made during the 1950s through the 1990s. He has thousands of LPs for sale in all music categories. He also offers stereo systems that can play them. Customers come from all over to his shop to browse and buy. He also has a website and offers LPs on Ebay.
Example: Roberto spotted another type of deja vu business. He specializes in repairing and rebuilding old vacuum cleaners, building on his experience that dates back some 50 years. People who know the difference come to Roberto to repair and maintain their old vacuum cleaner. Or new customers come to buy a 30-year old machine. It's because decades ago these machines were made with all metal parts. They don't wear out like the present day vacuum cleaners made with plastic parts. Roberto's shop has no recently made machines.
Don't think you must offer only the glitz and glitter of today's technological marvels in that business you love. There is still a market in the older products.
Pinball machines, anyone? Juke boxes? Board games and jigsaw puzzles? Old radios and televisions? How about manual typewriters?
When people today discover what went on before their time, a market develops. Deja vu businesses crop up all the time to serve that market. Last time I looked, the collectibles market was alive and well.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Read your emails
Free daily tips, information, advice, and ideas
to help you better manage your small business.
Face it. Emails are frustrating. No matter where we go, emails follow. They are like a shadow. At home. At work. In the car on the way. Even on vacation.
People in large corporations live from one email to the next. Emails announce meetings. Emails bring problems and questions. Sometime, a joke to relieve the pressure.
People in small business don't pay attention so closely. I've sent emails to owners of small businesses and several days passed before I received a response. These were people I knew and who knew me.
Example: Mary is a hypnotherapist. She sees clients privately for several problems--weight reduction and eating habits, stopping smoking, and pain management following surgery. She did not check her emails for several days one week. When she did, she found a 3-day old email from a local surgeon proposing an on-going relationship between them to handle patients with pain problems. When Mary followed up, it was too late. The surgeon had made other arrangements, thinking that Mary was not running a serious business.
Example: Sue is a potter. She works in her home studio turning out pots and plates with special glazes she has developed. Her work has attracted attention, especially after a friend talked her into putting up a website and posting on Facebook. Emails came in, but Sue had trouble remembering to check them. When she did, she found that she had missed the deadline date to be included in a major museum showing the works of up-and-coming potters. Sue learned a valuable lesson.
Example: Steve runs a home improvements business. On a Friday, he completed a major kitchen renovation for a happy client. Or so he thought. That night he neglected to check his emails--Steve and his wife were taking a long weekend off. When he did check his emails the following Monday, he found 6 emails from his kitchen client. The first one asked Steve to call because there was a problem with the plumbing. The last one informed Steve that the client had put a stop on the payment check.
Emails are not a passing fancy. They have become an integral and vital part of our lives--in personal and business relationships. Emails are here to stay.
If you don't communicate with your clients/customers, you can miss valuable opportunities. Read those emails frequently. Responding promptly shows you are there for your clients/customers. It shows you're on top of your game.
to help you better manage your small business.
Face it. Emails are frustrating. No matter where we go, emails follow. They are like a shadow. At home. At work. In the car on the way. Even on vacation.
People in large corporations live from one email to the next. Emails announce meetings. Emails bring problems and questions. Sometime, a joke to relieve the pressure.
People in small business don't pay attention so closely. I've sent emails to owners of small businesses and several days passed before I received a response. These were people I knew and who knew me.
Example: Mary is a hypnotherapist. She sees clients privately for several problems--weight reduction and eating habits, stopping smoking, and pain management following surgery. She did not check her emails for several days one week. When she did, she found a 3-day old email from a local surgeon proposing an on-going relationship between them to handle patients with pain problems. When Mary followed up, it was too late. The surgeon had made other arrangements, thinking that Mary was not running a serious business.
Example: Sue is a potter. She works in her home studio turning out pots and plates with special glazes she has developed. Her work has attracted attention, especially after a friend talked her into putting up a website and posting on Facebook. Emails came in, but Sue had trouble remembering to check them. When she did, she found that she had missed the deadline date to be included in a major museum showing the works of up-and-coming potters. Sue learned a valuable lesson.
Example: Steve runs a home improvements business. On a Friday, he completed a major kitchen renovation for a happy client. Or so he thought. That night he neglected to check his emails--Steve and his wife were taking a long weekend off. When he did check his emails the following Monday, he found 6 emails from his kitchen client. The first one asked Steve to call because there was a problem with the plumbing. The last one informed Steve that the client had put a stop on the payment check.
Emails are not a passing fancy. They have become an integral and vital part of our lives--in personal and business relationships. Emails are here to stay.
If you don't communicate with your clients/customers, you can miss valuable opportunities. Read those emails frequently. Responding promptly shows you are there for your clients/customers. It shows you're on top of your game.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
10 Events to hold
Free daily tips, information, advice, and ideas
to help you better manage your small business.
Any small business can hold events. Events help you grow and expand your client/customer base. Events create excitement, get the word out, move some merchandise, get better known in the community, and bring in referrals.
1. Holding a sale is an event. 2. Holding a grand opening (or re-opening, or anniversary) is an event. 3. Holding a special reception to honor someone in the community is an event. 4. Partnering with an organization to hold a fundraiser is an event. 5. Throwing open your place to a networking group is an event. 6. Showing a movie is an event. 7. Bringing in a local band or musician every Friday evening is an event. 8. Partnering with the local baker to serve free cookies and cake is an event. 9. Holding a free demonstration of what you do is an event. 10.
Holding a fashion show with live models can be a big attraction.
Example: Marie runs a specialty shop. She offers one-of-a-kind, handmade items consigned by artists and artisans from far and near. It's a fairly large store--jewelry and blown glass, leather bags and paintings, turned wood bowls and silk scarves, women's clothing and children's games, and much more. The store attracts customers looking for unusual gifts, keepsakes and things to wear. Marie wanted to attract attention during the Christmas season. She cleared everything out of the shop's big window, lined it with reflective foil, and installed a Christmas tree--upside down. The tree was fully decorated and hanging from above. On the floor, she scattered gift-wrapped boxes tied with fancy ribbons. People passing on the sidewalk stopped in their tracks--and then they came inside. The local newspaper sent a photographer, and a picture of the upside down tree appeared on the front page. This was an event that brought lots of attention and free publicity. People talked about it, tweeted, and emailed their friends.
Example: Dale is a massage therapist. To attract more attention to his massage studio, he brings in related therapists for open house/demonstrations once each month. These have included hypnotists talking about weight reduction, nutritionists talking about healthy eating habits, meditation experts, acupuncturists, and others. These sessions have been popular with the general public, anxious to learn about various holistic practices in a non-committal session where they could ask their questions and get answers. Dale always gives a massage demonstration at these sessions, and he has signed up additional clients. He's thinking about expanding into a full wellness center, making arrangements with these other therapists and experts. Meanwhile, his reputation is spreading and referrals are calling.
Events attract attention in the community. They can be elaborate and costly or they can cost you very little.
To promote, write up a short news release and send it to your local paper. Post it on your Facebook page and other social media. Send out announcements to your email list. Announce it with a poster in the window, mention it to customers as they come in, string a banner across the street, place a magnetic sign on your delivery van--use your imagination.
You are already creative, or you would not be in small business. Put that creativity to work in marketing your business. Events can greatly expand your market.
to help you better manage your small business.
Any small business can hold events. Events help you grow and expand your client/customer base. Events create excitement, get the word out, move some merchandise, get better known in the community, and bring in referrals.
1. Holding a sale is an event. 2. Holding a grand opening (or re-opening, or anniversary) is an event. 3. Holding a special reception to honor someone in the community is an event. 4. Partnering with an organization to hold a fundraiser is an event. 5. Throwing open your place to a networking group is an event. 6. Showing a movie is an event. 7. Bringing in a local band or musician every Friday evening is an event. 8. Partnering with the local baker to serve free cookies and cake is an event. 9. Holding a free demonstration of what you do is an event. 10.
Holding a fashion show with live models can be a big attraction.
Example: Marie runs a specialty shop. She offers one-of-a-kind, handmade items consigned by artists and artisans from far and near. It's a fairly large store--jewelry and blown glass, leather bags and paintings, turned wood bowls and silk scarves, women's clothing and children's games, and much more. The store attracts customers looking for unusual gifts, keepsakes and things to wear. Marie wanted to attract attention during the Christmas season. She cleared everything out of the shop's big window, lined it with reflective foil, and installed a Christmas tree--upside down. The tree was fully decorated and hanging from above. On the floor, she scattered gift-wrapped boxes tied with fancy ribbons. People passing on the sidewalk stopped in their tracks--and then they came inside. The local newspaper sent a photographer, and a picture of the upside down tree appeared on the front page. This was an event that brought lots of attention and free publicity. People talked about it, tweeted, and emailed their friends.
Example: Dale is a massage therapist. To attract more attention to his massage studio, he brings in related therapists for open house/demonstrations once each month. These have included hypnotists talking about weight reduction, nutritionists talking about healthy eating habits, meditation experts, acupuncturists, and others. These sessions have been popular with the general public, anxious to learn about various holistic practices in a non-committal session where they could ask their questions and get answers. Dale always gives a massage demonstration at these sessions, and he has signed up additional clients. He's thinking about expanding into a full wellness center, making arrangements with these other therapists and experts. Meanwhile, his reputation is spreading and referrals are calling.
Events attract attention in the community. They can be elaborate and costly or they can cost you very little.
To promote, write up a short news release and send it to your local paper. Post it on your Facebook page and other social media. Send out announcements to your email list. Announce it with a poster in the window, mention it to customers as they come in, string a banner across the street, place a magnetic sign on your delivery van--use your imagination.
You are already creative, or you would not be in small business. Put that creativity to work in marketing your business. Events can greatly expand your market.
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