This is going to be a slightly different type of post, one where you tell us what you think. In the last handful of years, there are certainly many brands that have fallen from their golden positions. Some fell much harder than others. To name a few that come to mind: BP Toyota CircuitCity.com Can these brands bounce back? What do you think they should do now? Keep in mind, there were brands who went through some pretty rough times and come up on top, stronger than ever like Tylenol and for those who are too young to remember ;)…

Hi It’s Ken Chandler. Some of you may recognize the name from Vera’s farewell post. Well, that’s me she’s talking about I am sure most of you do not know me yet but I hope to  change that. I have worked on military aircraft for almost 3 decades both as a U.S. Marine and as a civilian. I started my first offline business around 1992 and I have been working online with my own business since around 1996.   I  can easily understand how important your time is simply from my own experience. Given all that, I believe I will have…

One of the most frustrating areas of my business in the last 2 years has certainly been the hiring and keeping of contractors. Before you get the wrong idea, I am not difficult to work for :-). The reasons for leaving are very typical for independent contractors/freelancers. Family issues, health and moving on to other things are the biggest reasons. Sometimes, there’s plain irresponsibility. People just fall off the face of the earth. Sadly, it happens way too often and in my case, they leave while a project is mid way. Every time this happens, I have to start from…

There’s some pretty neat changes happening around here and I’m very excited about this decision. You see I’ve been wanting to pursue a road in life that is helping more people than just myself, and thankfully I’m now able to do this. This is a bittersweet post. Small Business Branding (SBB) has been a part of my life and my passion for a while now. I’ve ‘fallen in love’ with this community so making the decision to sell it wasn’t easy. If you’ve known me for long you probably know that I’ve been a small business owner since back in…

As part of my interview series with “Thought Leaders,” PR guru and author, Drew Gerber from “Pitchrate.com” shares his wisdom with us. I’ve been following Drew online for some time, so I was pleased as punch that he agreed to this important interview. Ed Roach: How much does personal branding matter in Public Relations? Drew Gerber: Personal branding is as important in the world of business survival as food, shelter, and water are to personal survival. If you want to set yourself apart from the competition you have to make a name for your products and services. Chances are someone…

Every week it seems there is another channel we can use to market our companies. Social Media for one appears to be leaping on to the stage at every opportunity. My inbox is constantly pushing out new sites to sign up to in the promise of delivering to us a new and exciting piece of business. I’m sure, like me, you wonder is it worth all the hype and will they get me any more notice than what I am experiencing with my current nest of sites. All I can advise is that it is extremely important that you do…

Opportunities come to you in a variety of ways: Referrals. These are by far the most desirable. These come from people who generally have a great deal of respect for you, and they feel that they can trust you with their contacts. Advocates. Advocates are people who follow you. Once you discover who they are, it is amazing what the cross-section of talent is. Colleagues. I consider this group part of my peer group. They are in many ways my competition, but they bring certain specialties to the table that I can draw from. You could call them “strategic competition.”…

Customer confidence is imperative for small business owners. The more confidence your customer has in you and your business, the more loyal they become. Confident customers make repeat purchases and repeat visits. Confident customers also tell others about your website products or services. They spread the word. Here’s how to generate customer confidence into your website. Quality Content One of the best ways to communicate your strength in your industry and give your customers confidence is to write quality content. Quality content positions you as a credible and trusted source of information. It won’t come up until your customer is…

Click Play to Listen To Interview https://www.smallbusinessbranding.com/audio/05.10.10-Tishia.mp3   Tishia Lee took the plunge of working from home in 2006 and has never looked back. Tishia is the exact person I go to when I want transcription work done and boy is she fast! If you’re looking to work from home and start your own small business you will find this interview to be very inspirational as Tishia is a single Mom and not only runs her business but she does it completely from home. Tishia is able to live the lifestyle she wants and enjoys it. Here’s More About Tishia:…

Brand Workout Program This is for all the brand masters out there who may have had sand kicked in the face of their brands on the beaches of the business world. A healthy fit brand is a brand to be reckoned with. A brand willing to sign-up for this bootcamp is one that recognizes the value of stretching their brand muscle and takes their market with a strengthened brand position. This is not a workout for the feeble minded. This is not a 3-day-a-week brand workout, but an intensive 24/7 regime. Take you eyes off the prize and your brand…