Take some time to think about your brand and its uniqueness and make any necessary changes now. You’ll reap the rewards in the short and long term if you do.

Strategically speaking, the business of your business is what you make and/or sell. All too often we describe our brand ( especially when we are starting a small business) by what we do and this obscures our marketing position and brand strategies.

nice article.

[...]  You can see the original post at Small Business Branding Blog. [...]

It seems to me that there is a fine line between relying on your personal brand in the beginning, and moving beyond it when the time is right. I’ve seen a small business dry up because all the owners’ contacts had been used up, and there wasn’t a lot of effort to network outside of a small circle. On the other hand, I’ve seen small business owners refuse to tap into the goodwill they’ve earned with a small group, instead choosing to try to be all things to all people only to find their cash has dried up way before the critical mass or customers showed up!

Great conversation.
-Mark

What you’ve touched on is one of the most crucial aspects of branding for the small company or solo entrepreneur – personal relationships. At this stage, personal connection is often the main currency you have to trade with. And those established relationships are the starter fuel to get things going.

I really focused on number 9 because it ties closely to focusing your brand. It makes sense to start with people who you’ve “already cultivated over time” because they are the people who know your brand. They know what to expect from you and how your different, inviting and relevent to their specific needs.

While it only makes sense, it’s amazing to me how often small business owners decided that they need to reach everybody. I’ve said and written about this before: too many small businesses are blinded by the greatness of their idea…they think everybody wants it, and don’t realize that they need to build a positive experience around the product to have any success.

Starting with people who know your brand is a faster way to get their.

-Mark

Thnak you from CmsBuffet.com

[...] excellent article for those starting a new business is 10 Lessions Learned from Starting a Small Business by Steve Woodruff. Great [...]

Here is the entry design files: Maintaining Design File Quality

I hope it saves you time and money.

[...] Steve/Small Business Branding: 10 Lessons Learned from Starting a Small Business [...]

would like to add a very important ‘inside’ aspect of being a ’small business’ person.

open up – once one has decided to break into this world of small business, its imperative that a person opens up to every possiblity that her world has to offer to her, all the goods and the bads. its more of a state of mind, that will help her get through this amazing journey from a dream to a reality and make it a business success too.

open up, live your dream.

[...] 10 Lessons Learned from Starting a Small Business: Steve Woodruff posted a good article on Small Business Branding about starting a small business. Steve talks about what he’s learned since venturing out on his own in 2005. [...]

[...] is a serenity that comes from having already considered the “what if” possibilities.” (Source) Relevant Tags:authenticity, peer to peer, peer to peer network, starting your own business, thought [...]