According to a new FedEx Office survey, six out of ten businesses feel confident in the long term success of their small business.      As reported by Newsline, The 2011 survey also indicated that nearly one quarter (23 percent) of owners feel that their marketing materials do not reflect the quality of their products and services. Moreover, nearly half of respondents believe they do not spend the right amount on marketing and advertising materials, with 24 percent saying they spend too little because of budget cuts and 23 percent indicating they spend too much but cannot find a better deal due to lack of time or knowledge.   This latest survey also analyzed changes in small businesses’ use of traditional marketing tactics versus expanding online options. Fifty percent of respondents indicated that they have experimented with social media to market their business. In addition, 52 percent plan to improve their company’s online presence and 45 percent said they would util ...

   Is your business sellable?  Most small business owners don’t even think in terms of selling a business because to them its their “baby” and they become co-dependent on their business.  I always think of this as “small business suicide” because at some point in your life you may NEED to sell your business so you should always think in terms of would someone else want it.  Thinking about the opportunity to sell also let’s you look at your business in a more objective manner because you look at the business in terms of whether other people would want it or not.  And you are more likely to make better decisions to ensure the success of the business.   Think about what makes your business unique, this is always an attractive lure to prospective buyers.  Think about recurring revenue, as this will also attract buyers.  Does your company have future long term contracts?  Most owners think that financial history is important to buyers when in fact quite the oppo ...

      This is a great time to start a business or grow a business, as it seems the events going in and around the world are marked for positive change.  The signs that signal the strength of a strong company headed for growth are companies that have leadership who anticipates how to use world events to the company’s advantage. While there is no way to really anticipate most world events it is important to figure out how to react to them for your business. As each business is different it would be difficult for me to explain exactly how, but it is a simple thing to know that you don’t throw a party in the middle of a stream of tornadoes, but you can have your business hold an event to help those in need.   The Positive Progress began last Friday when the Royal family finally showed a mark of stability with the marriage of Prince William and her Royal Highness, Kate Middleton.  As many have commented, it shows signs that the monarchy is headed for strength and this strength w ...