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2014/10/17

A good catch in the Brag Basket | SmallBizSurvival.com

A good catch in the Brag Basket | SmallBizSurvival.com


A good catch in the Brag Basket

Posted: 17 Oct 2014 02:18 AM PDT

Photo cc by ePi.Longo on Flickr.

Looks like a good catch of good news in the Brag Basket today! Photo (CC) by ePi.Longo on Flickr.


 

The Brag Basket is open! This one is for October 17-19, 2014. Bring your good news to share with everyone.

What can you do in the Brag Basket?

  • introduce yourself
  • share some great news from this week
  • congratulate a friend
  • applaud for each other
  • confess your undying love for rural places

How do you join in?

Below this post is the comment section. Add your good news there.
If you are reading this by email, just reply to the email with your good news. I'll add it to the comments.

Don't like to brag? Just share some good news for yourself or a friend.

Do you have to be from a small town? Well, no, not really.

Just don't make it an ad. I delete the ads that people stick in here. If you talk more about the people involved than the things, you'll be fine.

It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.

Use Your Small-business Advantages

Posted: 16 Oct 2014 08:33 AM PDT

Holder Drug

Holder Drug by Becky McCray via Flickr

When asked if they have any advantages as a small business, many owners respond negatively.

The fact is, small-business owners, especially those in rural areas and small towns, have many advantages they can use to enhance the success of their store.

Knowing the audience is a huge advantage. Yet they often do not make full use of this close audience connection.

Knowing the audience allows an owner to more completely understand the problems his or her client is having. It also should help develop brand advocates. They are people who, via words and actions, sell your store, products and services for you. They do this because of the trust that can be developed in such close relationships.

Local owners also can be very responsive to special needs. If the owner does not have an item a customer needs, the fix often can be found by checking with suppliers and using the myriad fast delivery opportunities that exist.

As business owners have noted, knowing their local audience allows targeting specific groups to keep them informed when products become available that you, the owner, know this person is interested in. What a marketing opportunity.

Another advantage of the local business owner is the ability to be nimble. Market changes and trends are easier to spot. With the ability to shift product mix quickly, the local business owner can lead the big retailer in being prepared to meet new demands.

The ability to be nimble comes from another advantage, that of having local decision makers. Seeing a trend and taking advantage of it requires someone on the scene who can execute a decision. The owner/manager has the freedom to make those decisions.

Local community involvement is a major opportunity for the small-business owner. Yes, they have a business to run, but often it is the local business people who are involved at the heart of various civic and charitable organizations. Money and donations are important, but they often give of their time.

Such civic and leadership involvement helps more deeply entrench the perceived value of the business, thus strengthening its brand.

Being successful as a small-business owner is a challenge. Small-business owners face a variety of competition and each has certain advantages.

 Yet being a small-business owner brings a set of advantages that creates real strength and opportunity. Put them in your toolbox and make full use of them in your business.

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