As the economy keeps on tumbling there are a lot of worried people wondering what they should do. Well below I have listed a few scenarios to think about:

Scenario 1: As a small business owner if you are short on cash then you may have to start liquidating your inventory by lowering the price a bit. Also, cut back on utilities and hours that may not be helping your business. On top of liquidating start looking into the service industry if you already do not partake in it. You may be able to help your business by providing consulting or technical support in that particular market. This may help provide another stream of income. If you are really strapped You may want to shop around town and see who you could merge with. Obviously, this is tough decision on you, but it maybe your last hope. (more…)

To all those small business owners trying to get a little more attention here is a tip for you! Have you uploaded a video about your business lately? Or have tried to start a viral video about a product or service you have to offer? If you start to use video you are expanding your channels of visibility which is a huge plus, but there are many numerous reasons well beyond this topic.

A big plus is the social media optimization you get out of using video. After doing some consulting for some clients I have been able to get many of my clients onto the first page of Google within hours of submitting videos and content for them. Is this magic? To some extent it is know which buttons to push and realizing which keywords will help you reach that status. A good place to start is uploading video to YouTube. (more…)

How many times have you stepped into an old “mom and pop” shops where the technology is outdated and they don’t even take credit cards? How many times have you worked for someone that is still doing inventory without a point of sale system? These are obvious examples of managers or business owners stuck in their own ways, but many managers are stuck in their old ways on many different accounts. Here are a few ideas on how to get out of your typical routine.

First Idea, checkout local seminars on what small businesses are doing to survive in your vicinity. Better yet go to a conference out of your area to see what other regions are doing to keep their competitive edge. Many corporations do the same for their employees to help them develop. This same concept should be considered for your business. (more…)

About 3 months ago a very good friend of mine from simplify101.com gave me a very good tip. The tips was to further my development skills by reading and listening to books. These books included E-Myth, The Purple Cow, and Made to Stick. These are books that are easy reads and still get the point across. The best part is that if your busy all of these books have an audio version.  Where can you get these audio books or when can you find time to read these business development books.

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As a procrastinator I have always had a hard time organizing my thoughts in a fashion that I can understand. After hearing Chris Garrett speak I was shown the light through mind mapping.  You can see a nice little example of what a mind map looks like from the picture above. A mind map is  similar to brainstorming, but with more special features that help you organize your thoughts on a whole new level. There are many advantages to using mind maps whether it be for personal use or business use. This little application is free provides a way for me to clearly write out all my thoughts, prioritize them, save time, and even schedule them on my calendar.

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Here is the presentation that was given at the Oatman House in Collinsville, IL this past Tuesday. Here is the downloadable power point handout:
socialmediastadium.pdf. The video is broken up into three parts thanks to Frank Spohr of Spohr Group. Please feel free to email me or call me at the contact information if you have any other questions about Social Media. Please feel free to leave comments as well. Please Digg the video if you can.

Email: questions@businessonthemound.com

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