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…)

As everyone has noticed the market is down. This is obviously effecting your business just like everyone else. But what can you do to help your business stumble through this recession? There are two ideas I have for you to think about. One is in regards to your marketing concepts and the other is in regards to typical economics. 

First, just has everyone has stated in the news, try extending your sales period. I would say not only extend your sales period, but try to capitalize on customers returning items. You already have them in your store so now it is your time to convert them into another sale. Where do you advertise to them? Use the Internet to your advantage! Start your gorilla marketing campaign now!

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As you have noticed it has been a while since there has been some activity on this site, which is because I have been on the run quite a bit lately. I apologize and if you would like to see more topics discussed please feel free to email me. Anyway, lately I have been running numerous consulting jobs and helping certain companies learn how to utilize social media. This helped spur a pumpkin patch of ideas on what you as a business can do to help promote your business over the Internet. Here are some of my ideas and I would enjoy hearing some of your thoughts on how to market your business. (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…)

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

Office Phone: 847.380.1448

Mobile Office: 847.971.1001

It was a true pleasure meeting Hagos Mehreteab the Co-Founder and President of Yoonew.com. Yoonew has been on Fox News and in Forbes Magazine. The company allows you to trade futures contracts for tickets to games like the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, etc. Anyone can trade tickets for their favorite teams on Yoonew because “Yoo New” Your team would be in the big game. If you predict your team can make it to the Super Bowl then you can buy a contract at the market price and if they win you get the ticket. You can also protect your investment by selling teams that will not make it to the big game by shorting the team’s ticket to the big game.  (more…)

As an entrepreneur there are always moments when we wonder if we should continue our education or try to build up our business. This has been a dilemma that I face every semester. Every day I wonder if I quit school would I be able to pursue my business and become the next Mark Zuckerberg. Over the past year I have come to a justification for my reasons to stay in school. 

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