Business Blogs: Trends, tips, and real-life anecdotes from industry experts.

As I approach my ONE year anniversary of membership in the StartupNation Community, I am consciously taking some time to reflect on the last year! It has been quite a whirlwind in which I literally woke up one morning and started a business (for those of you who do not know, I am an inventor [...]

Want to start your specialty product business this year? Then you MUST attend the (SPREE) Specialty Retail Entrepreneur Expo & Conference. Be part of the world’s largest event for the $12 billion specialty retail industry!
No matter if you are a retailer, or prospective entrepreneur looking for the newest concepts, or interested in starting  or [...]

Ok. You have a newsletter registration on your home page,
and people have started to sign up.
Great! Now, what do you do?
A.     Sit back and watch who signs up.
B.     Communicate with your new registrants right away.
C.    Send valuable information to your list on a regular basis.
If you answered B and C… Ding, Ding Ding! You are [...]

Before I will work with a company on their marketing strategy, I need to make sure that they are of the right mindset. Unfortunately too many business owners have taken to believing certain crazy myths about marketing. Sorry, but I’m here to debunk those myths. Here’s the top 4.

Have you ever had this happen to you? Several years ago, I attended a business networking function and I just happened to strike up a conversation with a person who sold cars for a local Chevrolet dealership.

Customer service can be a touch situation for many people. Usually when people call these numbers it is because they either have a problem that needs fixed, they are angry or both. Having quality representatives who can handle varied situations can really make the difference.
Less Reps
Quantity isn’t always quality—especially when it comes to [...]

In the process of promoting your products and services to potential customers, are you also promoting yourself?
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Competition is fierce today, and people want more for their money. This means that they are not just looking at products and services – but the people behind the businesses as well.
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With this in mind, what kind of image [...]

Doing our best for you StartupNation folks, here’s our latest advice regarding making the most of your retail holiday selling season. Hope you find it helpful. Please add in your own tips as comments below, too! We could all use the wisdom!�
Click on the image to view…

If you want to increase your level of returning customers, there is one major thing that you need to take care of at the very beginning of every relationship - Expectations.
This may sound simple, but if you don’t spell out what you are going to provide for the money, you can run into major confusion [...]

As a business owner, I love being my company’s “evangelist.” I get huge kicks from educating and exciting people about becoming a customer. But frankly, there’s an even more important—though arguably less exhilarating—aspect to closing new business. We call it, the art of follow up.
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My feelings about this were confirmed and further fueled at [...]