Your friends will always be there to tell you you’re doing great. But is that really always the best feedback?

A constructive, unbiased critique of your business and its progress is what you need. And where you’ll find that isn’t within your own personal circles.

Want to try out a new product or marketing idea? Want to get valuable, truthful opinions that will ultimately help your business thrive?

A fantastic way to do this is to organize a focus group made up of a variety of different people from various backgrounds.

Have a neutral third party moderate your group and organize a list of open-ended questions for the group to discuss.

Most focus groups and marketing studies offer some sort of compensation. You can either pay your attendees or give them free services/products from your business/store.

At the end of the session, you will have a wealth of valuable information and feedback on how to improve your business.

Friends and family are great for the “pick-me-ups” we need from time to time, but a pat on the back isn’t what will keep you pushing forward and striving to make your business better.