Category: Small Business Tips

Building a Business: A Call To Action

Jason A WoodruffLeave a comment

The world today is a lot different than it was a mere 30 years ago. As automation and AI technology revolutionizes business productivity, one thing is steadily being constant: many of these jobs aren’t coming back. While it’s tempting to follow the lead of politicians and industry leaders in promising that high paying manufacturing and industrial jobs are coming back, the reality is that that tactic is a means to placate these individuals and misleading at best. That said, here is a means to change the discussion by providing a more tangible means to improve individuals and the communities that have lost so much.

Building A Business

In many ways, we are seeing a massive change in this country. Massive lay offs due to outsourcing labor to developing countries has given way to automation and AI taking over many positions once filled by Americans. Workers who filled these positions -and those who have considered taking these type of positions- are now left without viable work options. The result is a vast workforce of laborers with skills far removed from their current line of employment.

With this backdrop, it is imperative to understand that the types of jobs gone doesn’t just include manufacturing positions. In the past decade we’ve seen a steady drop in jobs from a wide swath of industries: call centers, customer service, manufacturing, retail, etc. Even industries that were considered safe from outsourcing and automation have even begun to take a hit.

A Possible Solution

With such changes to the way Americans make money, we also should take into the rise of the internet and mobile technology. We now have the ability to work remotely with ease. We also have the ability to communicate and reach across oceans and continents to people in a matter of milliseconds. The world has changed.

For those with skills going unused, it is now possible to freelance or develop small businesses that utilize these skills -while commanding what you are worth in providing these skills. Website costs have plummeted with the rise of cloud based storage, cheaper hosting options, and click and drag web design options. It’s now cheaper to develop and build an online/mobile business then ever before.

Even with Automation, AI, and outsourcing, a growing number of people still value human to human connection and collaboration. Freelancing and working with small businesses allows this type of relationship to continue unabated. If you’re stuck with a skill that is not being used, consider starting your own small business. After all, what have you got to lose?

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3 Tips For Improving Your Social Media Marketing Efforts

Jason A WoodruffLeave a comment

No matter how far along in your social media marketing efforts, there is always room for improvement. Whether you’re looking for content ideas, automation, or new ways to refine old content, change is in order. This article will present 3 tips for improving your social media marketing efforts.

Automation

While I love Hootsuite and Buffer, the reality is that unless you purchase the costly paid packages, you’re stuck with a limited automation software. One of my favorite automated social media posting sites is Social Jukebox. With Social Jukebox you have the ability to create ‘jukeboxes’ that contain your social media posts. These boxes then randomly select posts to share on your social media channels. All you have to do is set them up, assign hashtags, and Social Jukebox handles the rest -at a price that is less than that of the competitors.

Content Ideas

There are many types of content. While the consensus is that posts with video or images have a higher engagement rate then those without, I’ve found that not isn’t always the case. Some of my most engaging posts have no images or videos at all. Also, the idea that articles and informational pieces shared on your timelines is a way to increase engagement is also misleading. In other words, each industry is different. Don’t just listen to the ‘experts’. Experiment with what works for you. You’ll often find that your followers want something refreshing and new… they want your thoughts.

Refine Old Content

In recent days, I’ve attempted to refine some of my old content. I’ve taken blog posts and extracted short tweets. I’ve taken longer tweets and simplified them into smaller ones. I’ve retweeted others content with short comments of my own. All three of these ways of refining older content have increased my followers, built upon content that my followers like, and expanded my reach by showing my own views and thoughts on topics my target audience cares about. The result is far more engagement. Try it, it really does work.

Social Media Marketing, whether for your personal brand or business, is an important component of your marketing efforts. It’s also an area where research and experimentation can go a long way to reaching your goals. If you have an idea that you’d like me to try out or address, feel free to comment below. If I like it, I’ll try it and share my experience.

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5 Myths About Running A Business

Jason A WoodruffLeave a comment

Running a business is an experience that a vast majority of people never get to experience. Yet, somehow, it has become glorified as a better way to enjoy life. While it is true that business owners enjoy the lives they lead, it isn’t in the ways that we’ve glorified. Here are 10 myths about running a business.

  1. More Free Time To Do The Things I Love: Somehow, we fail to realize that running a business requires an investment of our time. In a lot of circumstances, you barely have time to grab a bite to eat or hang out with friends/family. Many times, your free time involves going over analytical reports, evaluating processes, handling payroll, and other tasks that you didn’t have time to complete during the day!
  2. If I Open The Doors, They Will Come: A lot of people think that as soon as you get the product or service ready to sell and the doors to your business open, that customers will magically appear ready to buy. The reality is that you have to market your services and products. People aren’t just going to be browsing the internet or driving down your street to find you. You have to find them first.
  3. Customers Will Appreciate What You Have To Offer: Customers are fickle -they are people after all. When you open your business, you think your product or service will be well appreciated. In some instances, this may be true. For others, you’ll find that you need to ‘sell’ your product/service to meet the problems the customer faces. You already have an idea how it will, you just have to make sure it does what it is intended to do.
  4. Get Rich Quick: The prevailing attitude is that business owners control vast amounts of wealth -and looking at the prices for some products and services, you can see where the idea came from. However, being a business owner is not equal to getting rich quick. Only in rare circumstances do business owners grow their personal wealth rapidly. Be realistic, you may not even get paid from your business within the first year or two.
  5. My Business Runs On My Hours: A lot of business owners laugh at this one. The idea that your business runs only on a few hours a day is completely false -particularly in today’s 24/7 world. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to burn the midnight oil to handle tasks that I didn’t get to during the day -and knowing I had to get them done by the next day. If you’re looking for work that is part time, you might want to consider McDonalds.

Running a business isn’t rocket science, but it’s no walk in the park either. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, do your research, and be prepared to roll up your sleeves and work. Enjoy the ride.

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5 Tips For Launching Your Small Business

Jason A WoodruffLeave a comment

Launching a small business doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, anyone can do it. What separates those who are successful from those who aren’t is planning, proper execution, and learning to scale. This article will provide 5 tips culled from my own experience launching a cleaning business.

Make Plans and Follow Through

We make informal plans for everything: going out to eat, which clothes to buy, grocery shopping, and how to tackle house cleaning. In many ways, informal plans are everyday events that many of us don’t even realize exist. In business, we make formal plans: business plans, client contracts, customer support processes, etc. Just like informal plans these help us develop, formalize, and execute our actions.

Formal business plans need to be made for key areas and events. Two of the most important ones are as follows:

  • Business Plan: This is your comprehensive, overall plan. It lays out your business mission, goals, marketing foundations, and a realistic examination of profitability. It is here where you lay out the nitty-gritty of what you plan to do and how to do it.
  • Marketing Plan: Culled from the foundation laid out in your business plan, this goes into further detail with who you want to do business with. Here you will delve into your target audience, their habits, and how you will position your product/service to suit them.

Be Novel In Looking For Clients

Old ways of marketing your services and products aren’t as effective today. I can remember as a kid, for instance, that newspapers used to look pristine -with cool ads and pages. Today, however, the converse is true: the ads, if you get them, are often ripped up, shredded, or covered in a weird grease from the machines that print and bundle them up. This is a big reason why many newspapers are losing subscribers.

For business owners and marketers, its important to go where your customers are. With mobile technology and the internet, people aren’t just browsing a board at the grocery store -they are now online. Research and identify where they are at, use applications to increase your reach, and engage prospective customers in real time. As a cleaning business owner, I used 10 different websites and mobile apps to keep myself booked with clients. From Thumbtack to Amazon Home Services, I went where my prospective clients were. Don’t waste your money on outdated marketing avenues. Be creative.

Develop Customer Service Skills

Nothing is better for business then a happy customer. It really is that simple. However, the avenue for making a customer happy has changed drastically. It’s not just as simple as saying please and thank you. Take a note when your clients and customers offer criticism -take each bad review as an opportunity to improve your business and the model its based on. If they complain about a product your using, offer to do it again with a different product.

Offer Realistic Prices

One of the biggest issues facing small cleaning business owners is pricing their services. There are equal numbers of new cleaning business owners who want to either charge too little or too much. Those who charge too little do so in order to bring in more clients. Those who charge too much do so under the auspices of ‘knowing their worth’. Both are wrong.

Clients aren’t stupid. If they see you are undercharging for services or products, they will use you for a one time deal and then move onto someone more serious about their business. If you charge too much, they will ask you to prove your worth. Be realistic when you set your pricing. Make sure all your costs are covered and then compare to your competition. After all, some of your competitors have way more experience in the field than you do. Just cause you charge $15/hour doesn’t mean they are going to stop charging $30/hour.

Invest In The Right Supplies

Investing in the right supplies to provide services is extremely important -particularly for home and office services such as HVAC, Plumbing, Cleaning, and Maintenance. However, it is also an important thing for other industries. You can’t write a blog post if you don’t have paper or a computer. You can’t clean without cleaning supplies.

That doesn’t mean that you have to choose the most expensive products to do the job. Choose products that contribute to high quality at a decent price. Plan your costs and shop within your budget. Just cause something is expensive doesn’t mean it’ll do the right job. You have just as much input as the product you use. So invest wisely into the right supplies to do the job.

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