A question that comes up pretty often for solo entrepreneurs is if the they should refer to themselves as We and Us or I and Me. Many use we because it make us sound like a bigger company. I must admit. In the beginning – when it was just me running the show, I used we a lot for exactly those reasons. A month ago, I had a conversation with a few people about this and realized today, I use we for an entirely different reason. When we incorporated, I took in a “partner” so technically, using we is appropriate but that’s…

The term “content marketing” is rather broad because it covers a lot of areas from your blog, to free videos you put up on YouTube, to curation – at least that’s what it means to me. That may be why some of us are confused as to what to do. Is putting up a blog enough? Should you be blogging a few times a day? Once a day? Several times a day week? How do you know that you are doing everything you can to maximize the content you put out? I love grading tools. Not so much because they are accurate.…

Facebook has just announced easier ways to see less, hide or completely unfollow people, pages and groups. That’s good because sometimes, you don’t really want to block, unfriend or unfollow. The other nice thing about the new features is the ability to easily re-follow. I like that because sometimes all you need is just a break. Each time Facebook changes stuff, businesses moan. In some ways, the complaints are legit, however, I think this can be positive. Simply because, it’s better to have people who want to hear from you that people who simply grit their teeth and tolerate you. Here’s a quick…

According to Adobe 2014 Holiday Shopping Predictions report – mobile will be fueling big growths for Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day shopping. The interesting thing to note though, tablet shopping is predicted to go down. While that surprises many but to me it only makes sense. We don’t have our tablets with us all day long but we do the phone. If you’re out there shopping, naturally the phone is of the most help to a shopper. You can read more about the findings at Mobile Commerce Daily.

After putting out Office for the iPad in March, Microsoft has now released new Office for iPhone and iPad, and announced a preview of Office for Android tablets. iPhone apps are new, while iPad apps receive an update. The apps are free and can now be downloaded from the App Store.   According to John Case, corporate vice president of Office, “Anytime someone has an idea or an inspiration, we want to empower them to take action. With over a billion Office customers worldwide, and over 40 million downloads on the iPad, it’s clear that Office applications are what people want…

How many times have you heard that one or similar stories to it? Such and such a rock star, movie actress or mega-mind was born here, they attended university or did their internship here. As if to say being from here had a role in that success. The real truth is every community across our fair planet has their share of rock stars. What all these individuals have in common is not so much that they’re from here but that they looked outside of here to realize their dreams and goals. Most home-town business people and other talents and skill…

Being a 70’s kid, I did not have the privilege of witnessing the Apollo 11 mission. However, I did not miss out on the Space Shuttle missions. Each time I witness these take off’s I’m in awe, not just at the event itself but the creation, the many people who make it a possibility. All that hard work. When the mission is a success, there’s such tremendous joy and celebration but when a rocket fails – the disappointment is clearly evident. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHMmMgdcOSU Watching Antares go down in a fiery explosion, I felt its loss. One can only imagine how someone…

If you take the time to study any successful business from large to small you’ll notice some qualities they all have in common. If you want to have a long term business it’s important that you learn what these qualities are so that you can develop them within yourself. Thankfully, most things can be learned even if they don’t come natural. When I first started my business more than two decades ago, I was building HTML websites, managing newly formed online communities through bulletin board systems and a lot of other things that I don’t do today. I’m still in…

As a small business owner you’re supposed to be the master of your domain. Every story you see about working from home talks about working from the sandy shores of a foreign land, enjoying a lot of family time and down time with friends. But, the truth is, most small business owners don’t live that way. In fact, many are so overworked that they suffer from burn out. Photo Credit © Depositphotos.com/BrianAJackson If you don’t want to risk burn out it’s important to schedule in down time. When it comes to getting things done your calendar is your friend. Everything I do,…

The holidays are right around the corner. Are you prepared?   The beauty of a small business is, we can be light on our feet. Besides, you still have a little bit of time and if you’re stuck with what to offer, this list should get you started. The Add-On Bundle Include a not-usually-offered or not-offered-before add-on to your product(s). It could even be a service. Example: Get a personal coaching session when you buy this today. The Value Bundle Gather your best selling products and bundle them at a meaty enough price for you not to lose money but…