Do You Have Just ONE Small Spark? I’m inspired! Are you? Getting the word out about your business doesn’t have to be a big huge task… all you need is ONE spark to get it going and before you know it, it’s grown into something massive. I’m inspired this year to not only share some easy stuff you can do to get the word out about your business but I’m making it into a FAB contest! I’ve named it the SBB Small Spark Contest 2010. Not only will you be able to develop your business online easily but you’ll be…

I’ve written a lot about branding small to medium size enterprises over the last several years. I’m sure that many of my readers here at Small Business Branding and my branding blog (Brand Corral) wrestle daily with what to do to strengthen their brands. Most SME’s have very little resources to spend on brand issues. Unlike large firms who have the funds to hire teams of consultants to walk them through sophisticated strategies, SME’s are essentially a do-it-yourself demographic. I scratch out my living by selling a few hours consultation to small businesses to get them moving in the right…

This year I know is going to be a GREAT year! I absolutely love reading certain blogs and the New Year’s messages that they bring.  I’d like to share with you a few posts that I’ve been enjoying myself over the last couple of days… Yaro Starak – Did You Focus on What You Really Wanted? Lynette Chandler – Best Tech Investments of 2009 Melissa Ingold – Marketing Plan for 2010 Darren Rowse – How to Make $30,000.00 a year blogging Lynn Terry’s – Year end Note (hey she was frustrated this year too!) Alice Seba’s (Contentrix) – Five 2010…

Entrepreneurial Success = Commitment & Discipline Do you ever wonder what separates highly successful entrepreneurs from the average person?  There are a few key ingredients that are essential to attain the kind of success you’re striving for. Now you’re probably thinking this is another article about passion. It’s not. Passion is good; however, it isn’t enough. Passion has to lead to something more. Passion has to lead to action and in order to have the wherewithal to take action you need to have these two key traits: Commitment & Discipline Let’s take a look at them individually. Commitment Commitment is…

I must tell you that this post is extremely transparent into who I am, my beliefs and what the year 2009 has looked like for me and my family. This post is just as much for myself as it is for you.  This year has been a VERY challenging year for me but I know who I am and how to get through it, I just need to do what I know works and move forward. Here We Go… Personally: You know when you go through tough situations, stress does crazy…

Whew! I guess we made it through the year. Looking back at 2009, were any of your fears realized? Was your apprehension worse than your reality? I have to admit I came through it with barely a scratch. (maybe a few bumps and bruises) Every new year presents unique challenges. The one main strategy I employ is positive energy. When new challenges present themselves, I try to make them into opportunities. If a lose a piece of business to competition, my attitude is that they will come over at some later date – stay focused on the bigger picture. What…

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas to you and your family! I wanted to share this free report on traffic to help you in the New Year. I hope you enjoy it.  Over and out until after Boxing Day…. and if you see me around on twitter feel free to nudge me and tell me to stop working. I’ve officially been dubbed by Ed that I’m a slave driver. :-)  So…with that said, I plan to relax at least for a couple of days. Have a Blessed Christmas!

Unlike larger businesses, most of us are solo entrepreneurs. Which means, we wear many hats throughout the day. Some of us outsource a chunk of that work so we can concentrate on the things we are good at and that is very smart indeed. Trouble is, no matter how large or small your company is, we all have limited budgets or at times, limited people who can work on an issue for us. In order to get things moving we can either hold till those resources are available or attempt to move it along by finding solutions ourselves. If you…

I hope today finds you well. 🙂 We’re looking forward to Christmas ourselves, this time last year we were sitting in the hospital so there is tons to be thankful for! I just wanted to pop by and let you know that I’m putting together a new report and I’d love to showcase your business inside. I’m creating a “get traffic” guide because we all need more traffic to our sites, that’s a given. 🙂 So I thought we could pool our tips together into one nice package and get as many people as we can involved. Don’t feel you…

Frankly – you’re greater than that! In my Brand Consulting side of things, “Our people make the difference” is the by far the most common answer to my question – “Exactly what is it that makes you different from your competition?” Let’s be honest every company’s employee pool has talent and they do a great job making their products great. You have to dig deeper and pull out something more compelling that makes you the leader. You’ve got to be the first to market with this powerful position and you have to deliver it is such a way that your…