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ah....the simple days....when your idea of a good ROI was exchanging a bag of carrots for a peanut butter sandwich at lunch time! Little did we know at the time, our Kindergarten experiences were help building the foundation for successful business ownership down the line. Here are a few of the many lessons we learned in those years, just in case you forgot. Read More

There is a movement underfoot to make April 16th FourSquare day...why you may ask...well for the non-nerds among you 4/16 is four and four squared. Read More

One of the biggest sources of confusion small business owners face when deciding on a marketing strategy is navigating through all the outreach opportunities available and choosing the one that is right for them and their particular business. Especially now with the onslaught of social media and the bonanza of opportunities which it brings Read More

I come from a political background and am often asked how I made the transition from politics to small business consulting? As Thomas Mann wisely said "Everything is politics" and throughout my career, I have continued to discover the extreme truth in that statement. Read More

One of St. Patrick's legendary feats is that he chased the snakes off the island. Although all evidence suggests that post-glacial Ireland never had snakes, the symbolic nature of this historic account can be equally applied to your small business.

Every business has its snakes. Those barriers, big or small which are preventing it from reaching the next level, from gaining more market share, r Read More

You know that your product/service has reached ultimate 'Brand' eutopia when you achieve "Kleenex-Level Distinction". Kleenex's brand is so strong that a good percentage of American's will ask for a 'Kleenex' vs. a 'Tissue' when they need to blow their nose Read More

The goal of any business is for the customer to walk away happy with the transaction. Whether it be product, service, etc., the customer should ALWAYS walk away happy with a feeling of satisfaction that they made the right choice. Tom's Shoes has taken that one step further. Not only do their customers walk away feeling good about a purchase of well made, fairly affordable shoes, they also now wa Read More

What is 'personal engagement' really?

Shane Ketterman of Five Forces Group says:

"personal engagement is taking the time, as a company or corporation or service provider, or whatever your business is and making me (the customer) feel as if you care, are listening, and update me on what’s happening with my product/service/project, etc." Read More

Each customer is treated as if they are special, as if they are royalty and deserve to be doted on. As a Nordstrom customer, you should walk away feeling like a million bucks, because you were just treated as if you are.

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Trying to succeed at marketing without a clear vision of who you’re marketing to is like setting out on a trip without a destination. You must know who you want to serve with your product or service before you start building the campaign to reach them. Read More