HeatherStone commented on the following stories on BizSugar
Has LinkedIn Deleted Answers To Grow Their Business? | M4B Marketing
"Hi Susan, If features are not being used, that's one thing. I'm sure LinkedIn did an analysis of whether their discontinued tools were popular with users. Where businesses get into trouble is when they kill features that are popular with customers but don't generate any direct revenue. This kind of move is shortsighted and can lose a company business literally coming in because of the popular feature. Knowing the difference is critical to successfully tweaking for greater success."Think like a Publisher; Act like a Journalist
"Hi Sarah, I was just thinking of this idea recently when talking with some friends in the traditional publishing business. Online publishing platforms have reduced the number of people involved in production of a blog or Website, but the principles are still the same. Publishers think of the business while journalists think of the reader. It's important to have both perspectives, even if you wear both hats yourself. "Going Global: Your Business Documents should Speak Local Languages
"Hi Ivan, This is a great article! I am a huge fan of going global--at least the idea of it--as I love learning about what makes other cultures tick, especially in business. It's like you say, you've got to go in prepared to adapt to the culture of that market, not try to force your way in, like for instance eBay in China, with no regard for the local customs or culture. I think a lot of small business people are daunted by the prospect of going global, doing the necessary research and taking care of the legalities, but everyone I know of that made the investment has told me it's well worth the time and money. As the global playing field levels off, I think it will become more commonplace for small business people to jump in. Great post!"Measurement – A Reminder from Bill Gates
"Hi Ian, Agreed. Without measurement, metrics, there is no repeatability, sustainability, or opportunity for forecasting and making course corrections. The thing is, small business people...on the smallest level, have a hard time thinking in terms of KPI's. What they need is a software solution of some kind to walk them through determining what their metrics should be and that will help them keep record. And, though these solutions exist, I think a lot of very small business owners just don't have or think they don't have the money to invest in these kind of metrics. But without some tracking software, CRM, whatever, any kind of old school metrics is time consuming to gather. So what's the solution for the very small business owner, especially a brick and mortar or non tech savvy small business owner...or someone bootstrapping? I know there's open source stuff around, but there's a learning curve. Hmm... Anyway, great post!"Franchise Ownership | More Freedom And More Control
"Hi, Joel. I really think freedom and control are amongst the top reasons people usually start small businesses of any kind. Sure, there's a chance of eventually making more money than you would at a 9-to-5, depending on the business, but this probably shouldn't be your reason for taking the plunge. "Time Is On My Side
"Sarah, Thanks for sharing this with the BizSugar community. If you don't know how much time you're spending on projects, you don't know what your time is worth. That's a huge problem because it could turn out your business is unsustainable or that it will become unsustainable over time if you don't carefully keep track. Figure out not only the time you are putting in but what else you could be doing with that time and then figure out whether the compensation is worth the opportunity cost. "Subscribe
Top 5 Challenges Facing Digital Marketers
"Well said, Simon. Big data in particular can be daunting. Looking for exactly what that data is saying requires imagination and is rarely as cut and dried as some would have you believe. Thanks for sharing on BizSugar. "