Posted in Nov, 6th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
Heading out to a conference? A chamber breakfast? A meetup? This is your networking time. I know – you’d rather be at home watching SportsCenter or Ellen. But like it or not, networking is a necessary part of your business, so you’d better get out there. And when you do make it off the couch, here’s some good news…
Posted in Nov, 6th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
Most people think of “Shop SmallⓇ” as the rallying cry to encourage communities to support the mom-and-pop retailers in their towns. But local service-based businesses can be a part of the Small Business SaturdayⓇ (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) excitement, too. If you’re in the business of providing services rather than products, get ready to gear up…
Posted in Oct, 30th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
Choosing the right direction for the future of your company can be a daunting task. Should you add services? Is your team staying competitive? How can you improve cash flow? All of these questions and more can be answered by performing a regular SWOT analysis. This simple strategic planning technique can help you identify what…
Posted in Oct, 30th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
You have that business idea. You think it could really work and you think you want to try. So, what’s next? What are the first steps to take? Sure, the obvious is that you develop your business plan. But how does that really happen in practice? How do you develop that initial plan? Let’s look…
Posted in Oct, 30th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
Access to cash and credit is a business’s lifeline. Business credit allows a company to to borrow money that can be used to purchase products or services. It is based on the trust that payment will be made in the future. Why establish business credit? For business owners, having a separate legal entity, such as…
Posted in Oct, 9th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
Search engine optimization (SEO) is more important than ever for getting found online—and getting customers to buy from your business. That’s because online search has become the primary way potential customers find local businesses. Don’t believe me? A whopping 87% of people used a search engine to find a local product or service in the…
Posted in Oct, 9th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
When Enegis president Jeffrey Eppink founded his energy consulting company in 2007, it wasn’t exactly a roll of the dice. Eppink, then 51 years old, had 25-plus years of experience working for two leading energy companies, among other places. Since he knew and liked the energy industry, he bought out the consulting practice where he…
Posted in Oct, 2nd, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
Does your business rely on seasonal customers? Whether you own a surf school, a patio furniture store or an ice cream shop, you know how slow business can get during the off-season. Try these marketing ideas to keep customers engaged (and buying) all year long. Offer off-season specials. There’s a reason desert resorts slash…
Posted in Sep, 25th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
Instagram boasts over 1 billion highly engaged monthly active users as of June 2018. If your business is not marketing on the Instagram bandwagon, you’re missing a tremendous (and FUN) opportunity. Back in January 2018, I published a blog sharing how small business owners can take advantage of Instagram to extoll the many cool features available. Let’s take a…
Posted in Sep, 18th, 2018 Marketing, News & Views by AMAC Small Business Solutions
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 0.2 percent in August. Over the past 12 months, the BLS reported that CPI inflation ran at 2.7 percent. And if we look at the last six months, the annualized rate of inflation was only 1.6 percent. Starting in February of this…