Need to get busy?

Accelerate your business now!

Want to avoid eating someone else’s dust?

Get moving…fast!

It just might be time to kick your business into high gear.

Sales slowing? Employees lagging?

These are signs of impending doom. So don’t wait another minute. Start looking for ways to get ahead of the race.

Update your computer system. Get rid of slacking staff members that are bringing down morale. Rewrite your business plan. Arrange a high-energy meeting. Have a sale. Do something!

But whatever you do, don’t go backward. Rise to the challenge and always…always…move forward.

One of the worst things you can do when trying to build a good reputation is make a grammatical mistake!

Believe it or not, one simple spelling error or typo can make your public see you as irresponsible, unprepared, messy, lazy or ignorant.

People can be very unforgiving! And when you put yourself out there in words, you’ve got to make sure those words are written correctly!

Think of it as being in school. You turn in an essay. Your teacher grades it.

Do you want an A?

When you were a student you used a dictionary. You used a thesaurus. So what tools do you use these days?

Remember, your learning doesn’t stop when you achieve a degree. And whether or not you like to admit it, you DON’T know everything!

So get some help. Be conscientious and extra careful when proof reading your own work.

Because no one likes to be distracted by run-on sentences and misspelled words. And once you bump into one, it’s very hard to forget about it.

I recently had a disappointing experience at a restaurant. They had offered me a “Buy One, Get One” dinner promotion through the mail, which I decided to take advantage of.

As with most offers of this kind, I assumed I would have to actually dine inside the restaurant to be eligible to receive the free entree. However, I wanted take-out!

I read the coupon over and over a few times, making sure there were no stated restrictions. It didn’t say anything about not being valid on take-out orders, so I decided to go for it. I phoned in my order and a short 15 minutes later was at the restaurant to pick it up.

I suspected the staff might give me some grief. I was right. Although, when I pointed out that no restrictions were placed on the promotional deal, they shrugged and agreed to let me have the free entree.

They had to.

Still, I walked away annoyed. In truth, I wouldn’t have gone to that particular restaurant in the first place. It was only because I had received the coupon in the mail that I decided to give them my business on that particular night!

And isn’t that the point of a promotion?!?

Yet, the staff still had to push it, even though they were in the wrong. I don’t need that kind of hassle, especially when I’m patronizing YOUR business!

Let this be a lesson to all you business people out there: HONOR YOUR COMMITMENTS. OH, AND THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! (Especially when they really are!)

Whether we like it or not, summer is coming to an end - at least in the business world.

While the weather may still be telling you there is plenty of time for camping, beaches, picnics and barbecues, businesses must start to get prepared for the next season.

You might still roll your eyes when passing windows dressed with Halloween costumes (Halloween?…in August!?!), but you’re right there with ‘em.

At least you should be.

Now is the time to gear up for the Autumn months to come.

And having a summer blowout sale is a great way to clear your inventory.

As a small business owner, you’ve got to practice forward thinking if you want to stay ahead of the game.

So long summer, hello Holidays!

Have you forgotten what you love?

When you first opened for business, you might have been full of passion.

You may have had the world at your feet.

And now?

Have you lost that lovin’ feeling?

There’s really no point in doing something you don’t love, especially if you are the one at the helm.

You’re the captain: you have to lead others.

You can’t be “iffy” or bored.

If you don’t love what you’ve chosen as a career, you run the risk of failure.

For, only when we have our hearts in what we do is ultimate success a possibility.

Lacking inspiration?

Find airtimes for a show that will inspire you to grow your business.

You heard right.

You spend hours a day on the internet, but did you ever consider learning about business from a television show?

Small Business School airs on KQED several times a week.

It’s a show that focuses on various factors of starting and running your own business.

Guests include real people with real stories of how they became successes.

Check it out. You could end up learning a lot from just one episode.

And who knows? You may just be the next guest star.

Starting from the ground up, you are going to need assistance.

Before hiring a bunch of extra help, look to your family.

Chances are there is someone just a telephone call away that would be eager to help you build your small business.

Relatives are great that way.

Best of all, they won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Even if you decide to pay your family for their help, it will cost you a whole lot less than hiring professionals.

Not to say you have to keep these relatives on, and include them in the payroll, but for an extra hand here and there…there really is no better way to get the job done while saving some pennies.

Does it seem like business owners are getting younger and younger?

It’s true: there is a ton of young talent out there.

But, for the older, wiser, more experienced entrepreneur, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

You’ve spent a lot of time learning from your elders. Now switch directions and take a shot at learning from your juniors.

Pairing up with a younger partner may be a good idea.

Fresh ideas, new points of view…

It’s not as though an older, more seasoned business owner can’t be innovative. But two heads are better than one.

Bounce ideas off each other and you’ll benefit from one another’s unique viewpoints.

Most importantly, don’t feel threatened by the new generation of entrepreneurial trends. Instead, watch and observe.

After all, the learning process never ends. No matter how old (or young) you are.

There’s something about adding a little sparkle to your business that gets things moving again.

Hey, even faithful customers get bored.

The trick is to find a balance between incorporating too much shiny new stuff and keeping the traditional, comfortable and reliable feel of your place that patrons have come to trust.

After all, too much of a good thing can quickly turn bad.

While everyone likes a little change now and then, many people will agree that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”

Start small. A new and improved sign, even. An updated window dressing. A new menu item. Anything that catches the eye.

Don’t rearrange your store in one overdone step. Go slowly to avoid confusion.

You can give your place of business a face lift…just don’t schedule a nose job and a chin tuck on the same day!

For the business novice, money is a never-ending concern.

Isn’t it always?

But, for the startup - the one just getting off the ground - money is a pressing issue. More so than ever.

It takes some to make some, which is why getting your business up and running is a very difficult task.

Before you even begin making money, you’ve got to a have money.

Here are some ideas on how to make that happen:

Fundraising

Buy liquidated supplies from other businesses to save costs

Apply for a small business loan

Ask friends and relatives for help

And for more ideas and information on how to gain the capital needed to get your doors open, visit this site and start brainstorming on your own.

Good luck!