News/Views
Entrepreneur Myths Versus Realities
On the surface, becoming an entrepreneur really does seem like a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t anyone want to work for themselves? It’s amazing! But if you dig a little deeper, you will realize that while running your own business is a wonderful opportunity for growth and...
Why Entrepreneurs Need to Be “Selfish”
Small business owners are well-known for always being busy with little time to spare. Because business survival often depends almost exclusively on the business owner, it can seem inappropriate or even selfish for an entrepreneur to consider taking some “me time.” As...
Does Your Brand Need Fine-Tuning?
When you’re a small business owner, you may find that you are constantly perfecting your branding. Whether it’s the start of a new year, a new quarter, a new launch, a new season, or if it’s something you do on a regular basis, checking in on your brand is always a...
How Small Business Can Compete With Big Business… and Win
It’s not always easy being the little guy. When you own and run a small business, it can sometimes feel like you’re competing against big powerful corporations who have many advantages over you. Instead of feeling daunted, check out a couple of reasons why small...
How to Successfully Work From Home
One great perk that comes with being a small business owner is that you get to work from home. However, as glamorous as it may seem, it is not always easy to run a productive home office. Here are a few tips to keep you on track when working from home: 1) Have a...
Podcasting Tips for Small Business Owners
Producing a podcast series is a great way to share your content and promote your small business. When they first started gaining popularity on the web, podcasts were usually audio-only but nowadays, video podcasts are also prevalent. While there are no fixed rules...
The Importance of Brand Before Blog
Blogging for your small business is an excellent way to position yourself as an expert in your industry and engage an audience with your written content. However, if you don’t have a handle on your brand before launching a blog, you may be disappointed by results....
How Effective Entrepreneurs Manage Their Time
Entrepreneurs never seem to have enough time to accomplish everything they need to in a day. Here are a few ways to help you manage your time when you run a small business: Wake up early Start your day before the rest of the business world wakes up. Wake up earlier...
How to Stay Positive When You’re an Entrepreneur
Running a small business can often feel like running a marathon. And all runners – and business owners – are familiar with the proverbial “wall” and sometimes feel like they can’t go on any further. Owning a small business can be brutal at times: the long hours, the...
How to Network If You’re Shy
If you’re an entrepreneur, you must know that networking with other entrepreneurs will help you grow your business. Nevertheless, many small business owners are hesitant to network. Networking can be particularly daunting if you’re shy. But if you want your small...
4 Tips for Small Businesses About to Launch on Social Media
It doesn’t take long to set up a Facebook page or a Twitter account for your small business, but before you dive into social media marketing, pause and think about a few things to help ensure a positive experience: 1) Know Your Brand Embarking on any kind of marketing...
Life Skills Entrepreneurs Need To Learn
Successful small business owners are always learning. And while technical skills and work skills are important, let’s not forget about these life skills: 1) Learn to take a Punch (not literally) Do not fear failure. You have to keep trying new things and moving...
How to Share Your Business Presentation and Market Yourself as an Expert
Offering original content for free (or for a very reasonable price) online, is a great way to position yourself as an expert, attract and engage an audience, and market your small business. While written content is simple and cost-effective, some entrepreneurs are...
How to Market Your Small Business With Written Content
Many entrepreneurs offer advice and tutorials online. At first, it may seem absurd to want to give away expertise for free (or for a very low price), but from a marketing standpoint, there is a very logical explanation. For small businesses, writing and distributing...
Why Every Entrepreneur Needs a Team
Sometimes being a small business owner can seem like a very solitary way of life. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, there are several reasons why it’s in your best interests as an entrepreneur to find strength in numbers by belonging to a “team,” or a collective of...
Small Business Owners, Are You Making This Popular Personal Branding Mistake?
These days, “personal branding” is often associated with tedious reality television stars and pop icons, but it is also a very real part of business entrepreneurship, and something that every small business owner should be aware of. Your personal branding should...
Workshop: Build a Brand to Attract More Customers
In this value-packed, 60-minute workshop Bruce Harrott, Sales Communications Expert and Kim Speed, Branding Expert (Purple Moon Creative) will help you – Understand the basics of branding Learn how experts develop brands for their clients Create an action plan for...
Anatomy of an Elevator Pitch
It’s happened to every small business owner. One minute you’ll be an innocent bystander at a networking event, a social function, or even some random encounter where you’re just killing time, and someone asks you the all-important question, “So what is it that you...
Small Business Branding Myths
As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard many theories on branding, some of them good, some of them bad, some of them ugly. Here are a couple of our favourite branding myths that keep creeping up: 1) MYTH: Branding is Just a Fancy Word for Design Branding is...
Common Business Card Fails
With all the high-tech and digital wizardry dominating small business marketing these days, it’s easy to forget just how important it is to have an impactful business card. If you bring just one thing to a business meeting or networking event, it better be your...
3 Signs Your Branding Isn’t Working
Small business branding is a two-way street. Putting out messages about your brand is important, but what is equally important is how those messages translate to your target market. How can you tell if your branding is hitting its target or missing its mark? Here are...
3 Out-Of-The-Box Marketing Tactics for Your Small Business
Small business owners tend to be a little rebellious: they don’t always stick to the rules, they don’t often follow the road most travelled, and they sure don’t like the mundane. So why should their marketing tactics be any different? After all, no one knows better...
Is it Time to Update Your Brand?
Brands can take a long time and a lot of meticulous thought and effort to build. Which is why it can be difficult – although necessary – for every small business owner to periodically take a good hard, objective look at their branding and maybe consider a redirect. If...
7 Tips For Naming Your Small Business
Naming your small business can be a challenge. It can be as difficult as naming a child! After all, once your business is named, it’s really difficult to go back and change it without causing confusion regarding your brand. Here are some tips to guide you when naming...
6 Characteristics of a Great Infographic
It’s really no wonder why infographics have become so prominent on websites, blogs, social media and the digital marketing realm. When it comes to marketing your small business online, visuals such as infographics have proven to be very powerful for several reasons: -...
Why Are Brand Values So Important?
As a small business owner, have you ever thought about Brand Values? Brand values are basically what define your brand’s personality. How does your brand treat people? How does it make people feel? What promises does your brand make? What does your brand refuse to...
How to Communicate Effectively About What You Do
Small business owners face a lot of pressure to deliver products and services that are on par with or better than their competition. But sometimes, even the best products and services are difficult to sell. Often, an improvement in communication skills can help. Here...
Traits of a Great Website
Launching a website for your small business can be daunting, but it is a worthy investment: every small business needs a great website. Here are a few traits to keep in mind to ensure that your website is meeting its full potential: 1) Your Website Should Have Purpose...
Brand Guideline 101
Once you’ve got your small business’s brand honed and perfected, you may want to strongly consider putting together a Brand Guideline. Put simply, a brand guideline is a handy document that carefully outlines the parameters of your brand. A brand guideline is useful...
Does Your Logo Pass Our Quiz?
Your logo is at the frontline of your small business’s brand. As such, the design of your logo isn’t something you want to take lightly. Does your logo pass our quiz? Answer the following four questions with a “yes” or “no.” 1) Does your logo transcend time and space?...