Small Business Archives - Nuggets of Wisdom from 40 Years of Self Employment

Boomers: Stay young. Start a business.

April 16, 2022 No Comments

We all know that as baby boomers we are the largest group in the population. As a result as we age there has been no end to products and services directed at us (I’m a boomer born in 1950. You can do the math to figure out how old I am.) There are ads on TV and in magazines that will help you look young. There are articles about how to stay young. There is even software you can buy that will stimulate your thinking and keep you young. Everything is about anti-aging.

Have you ever thought that starting a business will keep you young? Not the “bricks and mortar” kind but a service business like consulting, photography, event planning, virtual assistance or pet sitting.

I know that running a business is a lot of work but women business owners that I have interviewed all said that what they like most about being self employed is the freedom it gives you. How does freedom relate to staying young?

Why start a business to keep young?

Every article I’ve read says that you need several things to keep you young (look at Betty White, Don Rickles, William Shatner and Christopher Plummer) and having your own business provides all of them.

learning about the variety of work that clients do
building relationships with clients and colleagues (and relatives)
time flexibility – you choose when to work and how much
learning new things like a language. Self-employment, your bookkeeping, accounting, marketing and technology have languages that are new to you.
feeling and knowing that you’re useful. In business you’re always helpful to your clients.

Don’t listen to your friends and relatives. Check it out for yourself. One of the women who I interviewed, Janet Williams was influenced by another student in her reflexology course who was 71. When Janet asked her why she wanted to start her own reflexology business she said: “You’re never too old.”

Listen to the words of the song Young At Heart. I just heard the version by Frank Sinatra on the radio and have a CD of Jimmy Durante singing it. My mom always sang it to me when I was a child, too. I guess that’s why I think young.

What are your thoughts? If you haven’t started yet, what’s stopping you? Any of the many women entrepreneurs can motivate you. If they can do it then why not you!

Originally posted June 14, 2012

Marketing, Small Business

6 Ways offline and online marketing are different

April 15, 2022 No Comments

I wrote the following post in February 2013, nearly 10 years ago. My nephew Jake is now 32 and is a senior art director and my other nephew Josh is now 41 and a senior IT guy!!

The facts I wrote about then are still true today.

…….

The world is always changing and we in business must keep up if we want to be successful (no matter how we define success for us).

Technology has REALLY changed. I remember (I’m 62 now in 2013) co-owning one of the first Apple computer dealerships in Toronto in the 1980s and helping to create and run a conference company in the 1990s where we held events for people who used what were then called hand-held computers (PDAs). I’ve always been at the “bleeding edge” of technology (just before the “leading edge” which means being in the red and not making money but always being the first to know about new technology).

We had/ were:

one of the first fax machines in 1984. It was as big as a small photocopier but since very few others had one there were few to send things to!
one of the first cell phones in 1985. The battery for this was the size of a car battery and the handset like that of an older dial phone with buttons. I called it a “luggable” phone.
one of the first to use the internet to market with our “email blasts” in the conference business in1995. They were “fax blasts” using email addresses but we could send them from our Mac (our potential conference attendees had email addresses but most companies didn’t have websites yet).

Times continued to evolve and with this came what was in 1984 a revolution (we even produced a print booklet called A Revolution in the Making which in 1984 took 6 weeks to produce even though we had the latest desktop publishing software at that time) that caused all of us to transform ourselves and our thinking.

In fact my nephew who is 22 now and studying at Ryerson University and producing art (by paint and on computer, films on his Macintosh and photos with his digital camera) is a great testament to this transformation. He is of the generation who grew up with and used all technology. He even had access to my brother’s Macintosh when he was a baby. (From left to right: my brother Phil, his son Jake who I wrote about here and my other nephew Josh who’s 30 now and has been using computers since he was 4 and has been in the computer business since he was 17. He’s now 32!)

But I digress.

There are at least 6 ways in which online marketing is different from offline marketing.

One needs a computer, a hookup to the Internet and a browser such as Firefox or Chrome.

Speed One can do EVERYTHING faster. Once you have set yourself up, just input some data and you can send it at the “touch of a finger”.
Cost EVERYTHING costs less or is free (do you know of the book published in 2009 by Chris Anderson Free: The Future Of A Radical Price ) – audio and video production and even payment processing.
Reach One can connect (for free) with contacts both locally and globally.
Measurement & Tracking One can easily get access to key metrics with ad trackers, newsletter openings, website analytics etc.
Easy to do marketing One can “do it yourself” (if you’re not a technophobe AND have the time).
“Abundant” information at your fingertips With most search engines like google or Ask one can search for and find anything – anywhere in the world. (Remember that this info has the caveat of buyer beware as does any info you find online)

How has this blog post made you think – whether you use technology a lot or you’re a “technophobe” who didn’t grow up with technology?

Here is access to the other post I wrote 14 Ways Offline and Online Marketing Are The Same

Compare the two and tell me what you think. I’m VERY interested in what everyone has to say!

Originally posted on February 6, 2013

Marketing, Small Business

3 Marketing tips from getting a mammogram

February 21, 2022 1 Comment

Photo credit: uniquelymoronic via photo pin cc

(Those who’ve had a mammogram will understand the humour in the cartoon.)

Every second year I get a mammogram and so on a snowy day in February several years ago I went to get one. It’s not a painful experience for me though it can be for some women but it’s necessary so I set off in the Woodgreen Transportation Services van (I don’t drive since the stroke) for my appointment.

There were at least three marketing things that came out of this experience. Maybe you’ll think of others.

Marketing Tip #1 – Treat your prospects, clients and everyone the same – politely.

Some people are polite no matter what. There was a snowstorm in Toronto that day so several businesses and schools were closed and many people didn’t drive. That meant the roads downtown were empty. I grew up in London, Ontario (snowbelt) and my driver had driven trucks for years all over Ontario. We didn’t let the snow stop us! Those (like us) who chose to drive were pleasantly surprised. The people on the roads drove slower, more carefully and watched. They waited for us and let us in.

Marketing Tip #2 – Have a “culture” of helpfulness in your business that all your staff show.

Everyone in the mammogram clinic acted identically to each other not just to the clients – friendly, smiling (not a “pasted on” smile), helpful, and patient (waited for each person they called to move at their own speed).

Marketing Tip #3 – Be aware (both you and your staff) and understand what people need. Then give it to them.

The clinic I go to is in a building with a restaurant and afterward I have coffee and snack here. The staff did more than just the tasks in their job description. The man filling up the napkin dispenser carried my coffee over to a table and the fellow wiping the tables asked if he could move my chair for me (I use a walker).

Those are three examples of “marketing mindset” in action in everyday life.

Do you have some examples? What are yours?

Originally posted September 21, 2012

Marketing, Small Business

11 Characteristics of a network #2 of 3

August 13, 2021 2 Comments

photo credit: Peter Bromberg via photopin cc

Do you leave halfway through a network because it wasn’t “good”? Are you sometimes the last to leave a network because you’re still chatting?

You need to know what “good” means for you before you go to any network event. How do you know? Here are 11 characteristics to know about it.

Characteristics of groups where you can network

Target market Before you look at any group, know who your target market is. Are the people you’re looking for corporate HR, IT people, “mompreneurs”, small business owners or solopreneurs? Know this first.

2. Location. Where is it held? Is that too far for you get to? I live in downtown Toronto and don’t drive so a network in Barrie which is a town about 50 miles (85 km) north doesn’t work for me.

If it’s a conference in Los Angeles and you live in Boston, you would have to fly there. Can you afford the flight and hotel costs as well as the time away from your business. Would you get enough leads and build enough relationships to make it worth your while?

3. Time. Ahh time of day. I’m not a morning person so being self employed suits me fine. As soon as I see that it’s a breakfast meeting at 730 a.m. I look to see when else this group meets. Breakfast, lunch or early evening may make a difference to you — it does for me!

4. Size. Groups vary from 6 to 600. Do you thrive in a big group? Do you look for small intimate groups? Here’s where size does matter.

5. Cost. What does it cost per meeting and what do you get for it? The average is $25 but for a dinner meeting it could be up to $75 — be sure you get dinner.

6. Room Layout. It depends on the size of the group. The huge ones are standing only with a few chairs around the outside of the room; the medium to large have chairs in a traditional format in rows facing the speaker at the front; small ones could be held around tables or have the chairs set in a circle. Which one works best? It depends on you and what you’re comfortable in.

7. Do they do an “around the room”? You want maximum exposure for your “elevator pitch” so giving it to everyone in the room is better. It allows you to decide who you want to speak with and those who want to hear more about your business and perhaps use your services will come up to you. (This only happens with groups under 40.)

8. Speaker. Most groups have a speaker. You may want to hear that person or the topic.

9. Membership. How many times can you attend before you have to join? Or do you even have to become a member?

photo credit: Port of San Diego via photopin cc

10. “Fixed or fluid”. Often called leads groups. BNI and BCX only accept people from different business types. For example if you’re a web designer and they have one, you’re not invited to join. You also are required to give leads every meeting and you may not have used the lead’s services so don’t know much about the company.

11. Type of group. Are they a networking group or an association? An association will be in your field so if you’re a startup you may want to learn from more experienced people.

Frequency of meetings. Groups usually get together once a month but leads groups meet twice a month. Do you have the time and money?

Look at each of these questions and get answers. Which characteristics are important to you? If you’re a startup you may want to attend every event you can until you find out what works best for you.

Remember that you need to attend each one several times to see if it’s what you want.

If you know other entrepreneurs you can ask them which groups they recommend. And you always have the internet where you can check the group!

I know of a several groups here in Toronto so ask me in the comments.

Originally posted January 30, 2015

Marketing, Small Business, Startup

Networking: what do YOU want out of it? #1 of 3

July 5, 2021 No Comments

Networking is a marketing activity you need to do in business.

Do it regularly and frequently especially when you have a startup business. Should you expect to get leads from it right away? Yes and no.

Here are two stories. Deanne Kelleher of Kaos Group has talked about getting business from someone 8 years after she met them while networking. Instant gratification? Nope.

Laurie Bell of Moving Seniors With a Smile has talked about going to LOTS of networking events to talk about her business when it was new. Does she go to as many now? No – she doesn’t need to. Does she still go? Yes – to continue to be known.

What is your main reason for networking?

The first thing you need to do is think about your business and what you want to get out of attending the event. Decide whether you want to:

meet new people
promote your business
promote a particular product, service or workshop
get seen everywhere
check out the network to see if you can speak at it
hear a particular speaker
learn about a topic you’ve been studying
connect with others in the same situation as you
get a solution to a problem you have in business
or just get out of the house!

In order to do any of these (except the last one) you need to know your target market.

I’ve written two other posts you should read as well “11 Characteristics of a Network” and “How to Choose the Right Network for You”. This one should be the first one you read.

To sum up

decide why you’re going (this post gives you several reasons)
review what characteristics are important to you in a network (Read my post called 11 Characteristics of a network)
choose the right network for you (Read my post called How to choose the right network for you)

Does that help? Do you know why you’re going now?

To repeat – go to more than one session of a group. You can’t judge after just one visit.

Originally posted March 18, 2015

Beliefs and Views, Small Business

The best way to learn is to teach

June 29, 2021 No Comments

: Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

There are hundreds of reasons NOT to teach.

I’m not a “born” teacher.
I don’t know how to teach.
I don’t have the knowledge yet in my subject area.
I don’t like public speaking.
I’m not a techie so can’t use the technology tools necessary to do an online class.
I don’t have a group big enough to teach a seminar to.
I’m an introvert or I’m shy and don’t like big groups.

The fact is that these are just excuses. In fact, teaching is one of the best ways to learn – your subject matter, technology, speaking in public and the skills needed to teach.

There is also an answer for every one of the excuses.

“I don’t have a group big enough.” Get to know people who do have groups they influence and talk to them about publicizing your event or interviewing you about your subject on their webinar or podcast.

“I’m not a techie.” Learn the technology yourself and better yet get to know someone who’s already done several webinars.

“I’m not a teacher.” Everyone has had a good teacher at some time in their life. What was it that made them good? What did they do? Learn those things yourself. Take courses. Read articles about how to teach.

So what is YOUR excuse?

What is teaching?

Teaching is much more than delivering information. People can find information on the internet. It’s taking that information and translating it to knowledge so people can use that same information to reach their objectives. It means that you deliver knowledge.

Wisdom means that you have the ability to make judgments and decisions. Wisdom is an intangible quality gained through your experiences and through learning more about your subject.

Information leads to knowledge leads to wisdom.

Let me repeat – teaching is the best way to learn something new – your subject matter, technology, speaking in public and the skills needed to teach.

It’s also a way to keep young when you’re older. You already have the knowledge and experience. Why not share it with others! Teaching IS sharing.

Small Business

Do you let fear hold you back?

April 21, 2021 No Comments

photo credit: Shandi-lee via photopin cc

Fear is a natural feeling.

It told cavemen and women to run away from danger. We’re not cavemen or women any more but having some fear is still healthy. We should feel afraid when a gun is pointed at us. It’s only unhealthy when you feel so much fear that it stops you from acting.

It’s normal to be afraid when you’re starting or running your business. Fear acts as your guard at the gate of your comfort zone. But getting out of your comfort zone especially in business is a good thing.

Letting those fears stop you is a bad thing. Using them to transform your business and you IN your business is good.

Here are some ideas of how to use fear.

1. Fear of being judged. Needing approval from family, friends or clients in order to do something is bad.

Each time you catch yourself wondering what others would think, try what I learned from Jack Canfield in 1992. Look into your eyes in the mirror and say “I approve of me.” It works.

2. Fear of rejection. This can happen with every sales call, newsletter, followup or offer – the core activities of business.

Rejection is just a no of what you’re asking. It’s NOT a rejection of you. You actually want rejection as a business owner so you can learn from it. If you’re not experiencing rejection, you’re probably not getting clients. Don’t take “no’s” personally.

3. Fear of embarrassment. Think of a public mistake someone else made. Did they acknowledge it? What happened? You probably said or thought that it was nothing and then carried on. Be easy on yourself too just as you were to them.

4. Fear of the unknown. This is probably the biggest fear of all for a business owner.

Remember that business builders have had fears and failures, and then needed to dig deep to find the courage, motivation and willingness to keep moving forward with their dream. Even when it wasn’t easy. Remember that you’re not alone.

Don’t let fear stop you from moving forward.

Take small steps and take actions which move you toward your goals. Don’t let yourself wallow in your fear and tell yourself scary stories.

Do this …

photo credit: -mrsraggle- via photopin cc

Pick one of your goals for the next year. Now think about one small step that you can take over the next week to get started now and start building positive momentum immediately.

Don’t worry about thinking beyond that one step. It will inevitably lead to a second, then a third. Just take the first one. You’ll already be way ahead of the alternative – which was the inaction that your fears caused.

Go from fear to triumph.

What have you tried that worked? Comment so others can benefit from it.

Originally posted December 30, 2014

Beliefs and Views, Small Business

How to make technology your friend

April 9, 2021 2 Comments

Do you see technology as a friend or foe?

When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, all phones were black and had dials, typewriters were manual, cameras had film and music was on records. Now in 2020, phones are “dialed” by tapping on them, typewriters don’t exist, your phone is your camera that takes photos and videos, and music is on mp3 players. Oh how technology changes the way things are done! By the way, why do we still say that we dial a number when we actually press buttons? Hmmm.

All of these were technology AND everyone knew how to use them. So why are many people afraid of technology today? There are lots of reasons even if people use it often.

it’s too difficult to learn
I don’t need to use all the features
I can’t learn/ use it
I’m too old
I don’t have time to learn it

**Picture from pixabay by TheDigitalArtist / 7307 images**

It comes down to the fact that all of us have difficulty with change. In the 70s people said “I’m not mechanically inclined”. Now they say “I’m not technically savvy”.

My belief then as now is that it’s mindset. I don’t know who said “if you think you can, you can and if you think you can’t, you can’t” or something like that.

What can YOU do?

First and foremost you can change the mindset that you have that says “I can’t do technology.” In order to do that, there are several things you can do.

1. take one technology and learn what it can do and what it can do for you in your business or personal life. As an example, let’s use smartphones. A smartphone can be known as a mobile or cellphone. It has an operating system (like a computer does), can allow you to take photos and videos, record notes you may have, check and respond to email and look at posts and websites. It can be your media player (mp3s), it has a touchscreen and can run 3rd-party apps. Decide which apps you need. Become a knowledgeable consumer.

2. find an expert who won’t use “geekspeak when talking with you and will explain things to you until you understand.

3. find someone to do it for you. I tried my hand at programming several decades ago and decided it wasn’t for me. So whenever I need a new website, I make a list of the features I need, then do due diligence on the person I choose — and voila — it gets done for me!

I know what I want, my web designer answers my “techy” questions as I have them and then teaches me how to use it and how to make content additions or changes myself. And I don’t have to do any programming!

It starts by having an attitude where you say to yourself “I can’t do it so I’ll hire someone who can.” There are lots of things we think we can’t do but in reality we aren’t willing to spend the time needed to learn that thing. But hiring someone could be worth our while. We should be doing the thing we love to do!

Have I succeeded in convincing you that you need to change your attitude? What have you done?

Originally posted January 18, 2015

Marketing, Small Business

How Do You Show Your Customers Love?

April 3, 2021 No Comments

Show love all year especially when you have your own business.

It’s one of the ways to deliver great (not just good) customer service.

In February love is in the air. Flower shops and chocolate stores have lots of sales. Most people get cards so the greeting card industry flourishes.

Show you’re thinking of your customers all the time not just in February.

Here are five ways to show that you’re always thinking of your clients.

1. Send a heartfelt message (when they buy). Your message shouldn’t have any sales pitch behind it; you simply want to tell your customers how much you appreciate them. You can do this in two ways:

Send an ecard
Mail a physical card. Don’t only sign your name. Write a note in it as well.

2. Spread love in February. Mail your clients a Valentine’s card. When you take your focus away from selling and put it on giving (even if it’s just giving customers something to look at), they’ll want to come back.

3. Ask them what they want. One of the best gifts you can give your clients is your attention. How can you better deliver what they want from you? Ask them to find out. Send a brief survey to find out what services they like, what might be keeping them from buying them, what they think of your prices, and any suggestions they have for other things they’d like you to offer.

4. Have in person “coffee dates” (or virtual ones in this Covid pandemic). When’s the last time you actually spent face-time not talking about work? Book coffee or tea dates virtually or in person when you can and spend each meeting just building the relationship and NOT trying to sell. Ask questions about themselves that are not about business. You’ll be surprised what you might find out about them.

5. Offer incentives to buy again. One strategy for building customer loyalty as well as providing great customer service is to create attractive offers to past clients. That could be anything from 25% off of their next order to a gift card.

Do this …

Pick one of your goals for the next year. Now think about one way that you can show your love to clients.

Tell me how you show the love to your clients!

Originally posted on February 16, 2015

Beliefs and Views, Small Business

How being a schoolteacher prepares you for entrepreneurship

February 17, 2021 No Comments

photo credit: Cultural viewpoints from around the world from photopin.com and flickr.com

You’ve probably been a schoolteacher if you’re a woman over 55.

I was born in 1950 when women had three career choices. You could be a school teacher, a secretary or a nurse. I chose to be a teacher since I knew even then that I wouldn’t be one forever.

Since attending university in the late 60s and early 70s, I’ve wanted to have my own business. I taught elementary school for 8 years from 1972 to 1980. Little did I know then that teaching would give me the skills I’d continue to use as a business owner.

In the summer of 1978 I taught how to use computers in the classroom as a course to other teachers BEFORE you needed credentials to teach it. Nancy Murray a Superintendent in the Windsor Separate School Board took a risk on me. I had 40 elementary school teachers in my class that summer. That was the beginning of my self employment journey. I’d started.

Being a teacher is one of the best things you can do.

Many of us have been teachers and most don’t know that teaching prepares you to become an entrepreneur who starts and runs your own business.

Here are some of the many skills that teaching gave us.

being “teachable”. Learning what you need to know through professional development.
short term and long term planning. (Do teachers still create “day plans” and “weekly plans”?)
running a large group. When I started in 1972 I had 42 students in my first year. Did that ever prepare me!
risk taking
persistence
patience
goal setting. You set goals for yourself each year, for the class and especially if you taught special education as I did, you set goals for each individual student as well.
speaking to a group. You know how to speak to a group and if you had the courage, you also spoke to groups of your peers.
educating!!!
how people learn. As a teacher it was in the curriculum at teachers’ college.
how to research offline and online
“reading, writing and of course arithmetic”
creativity. You had to make do with what you had and therefore if you didn’t have something you used your creativity to make what you needed from what you had.
listening to and knowing the individual needs of your students/ clients
… and of course …being your own boss (I guess that’s why I liked Special Education so much.)

I could go on and on.

Do you see how as a teacher you have the skills needed as a business owner? What you don’t know yet is how to start a business but you know how to learn, don’t you? Well that’s all you need.

I and most entrepreneurs didn’t take courses on how to start a business. They and I learned what we needed as we went along using trial and error. Sure we made mistakes. Didn’t your students when they were learning? We read books, took classes, attended conferences and hired coaches.

Take a risk and start your own business. Ask for help when you need it. And keep learning. That’s what keeps us young!

As the Nike slogan says just do it .

What else would you add to this list?

Originally posted October 23, 2012

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