The best referral comes from a happy customer.

But sometimes happy customers don’t say enough. And you don’t have time to wait.

Here’s something new you can do to get the word out faster.

Online video testimonials. Upload them on to your website and you’re done.

Let the talking screen do the work for you!

All you have to do is stash a camcorder in your store or on the way out of the office (preferably in some sort of private area), and allow your customers to take a moment to share their experience.

The best part is that you can choose to include or not include whatever you want.

And for an added incentive, tell your customers their names will be put in to a monthly drawing if they smile and say something nice.

Creative, huh?

So you’ve mastered the art of entrepreneurism.

Wanna share some of that love?

While running your own business, why not create a spin-off?

In your spare time (ha ha), consider some part-time business consulting.

Maybe the winter months are slow.

Wedding planner, landscape architect, summer recreation camp director…these are careers that have seasonal limitations.

Many careers have their ups and downs. And that’s normal.

So, when you’re not knee deep in what you do and love for a living, try teaching your success to others.

Business consulting is a snap for those whose life is running a business. You’ve seen and heard it all, and you can be of great help to others.

Oh, and make some good side money, too.

It’s a jungle out there.

Eat or be eaten.

Let’s face it - an oldie but goody adage can really get under your skin. Because whether we want to believe it or not, most of them are true.

And in business, knowing you’ve got to have and maintain that extra competitive edge can be stressful to say the least.

You’ve got to be on point all the time. You’ve got to take the bull by the horns…OK, enough already.

Point being: those handy little sayings…memorize them. Use them.

The moment you think you have nothing to worry about, the moment you get too comfortable…BAM!

Life throws you a curve ball.

(Seriously. That’s the last one.)

“Expert.” It’s a daunting word.

How do we ever know if we’re an expert at anything?

Here’s how: you live, breathe and love what you do.

If you can say that much, you’re an expert.

You might not know every single fact and historical reference about the subject you love.

That’s not what being an expert is about. It’s about being willing and eager to learn.

It’s about knowing there is more to discover and putting yourself out there to go discover it.

Being an expert means you practice what you preach. You have enough experience to be able to get the job done and you do it well.

Don’t be afraid to call yourself an expert and to make the necessary moves to show the world what you can do.

Remember libraries?

You know, those ancient buildings with those things called books in them?

Today, libraries are like animals facing extinction. Everyone can recall seeing them…somewhere, sometime…but no one really knows what one can do.

It may be a surprise to you that libraries can offer even more than the Internet. Yes, that’s right.

Search engines are flawed. Not all information is online. There are gaps and mistakes and discrepancies.

Libraries have it all. They’ve got computers and Internet access. But they also have hard copies. Books!

Going into business, libraries are your best friends. And librarians are your little helper elves.

They know where everything is that you need; they know the resources you will actually use; they save you time and make you comfortable.

So, next time you think you have it all under control with a flick of your laptop screen, think again.

Go to a library and find what you’ve been missing out on. Your business will thank you.

Setbacks. They happen.

Knowing this can prevent a meltdown when things aren’t looking too sunny.

It’s still raining. Business is slow. So what?

So, look ahead to brighter days. Spring forward!

Design a new web page. Update your look. Clean out old inventory.

Get ready for a busy and bustling summer.

Don’t let slowing traffic or empty aisles crush your sense of worth.

It’ll get better. It always does.

The universe moves in circles. So, even when the cycle slows, you’ll eventually return to where you want to be.

It’s easy to get caught up in your own life, your own problems, your own stresses and dreams and dramas.

That’s what we’re supposed to do, right? To keep thriving, pushing, forging forward?

Yes. However, in doing so, it is absolutely necessary to look around you and to, occasionally, forget yourself.

There are people who need your help. Not just during the holidays.

Not just to receive a tax deduction.

This year, celebrate Christmas in April with your employees and encourage giving back all year ’round.

If you think your efforts don’t make a bit of difference, you’re wrong.

And when you gather together as a group, an even bigger change can occur.

You might be able to get one over on your friends, but in business, you’ve got to ask yourself…who are you trying to fool?

April Fools’ Day is fun. But tricking your customers isn’t.

Don’t be a sleazy salesman.

Practice and perfect authenticity.

In short, be real!

It’ll not only win over your target audience, but it will put you in a league of professionals - people who care and in doing so, succeed.

Shortcuts in the business world rarely pay off.

Somewhere down the line, those hasty and disingenuous moves will catch up with you and pull you down.

And in money and business, you never want to hear “Gotcha!”