Ask SCORE

SCORE, "Counselors to America's Small Business," is a nonprofit organization of more than 13,000 volunteer business counselors who provide free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small business owners. Call 610.327.2673 for the Pottstown SCORE chapter, or find a counselor online at www.pottstownscore.org

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Don't Let Office Clutter Clog Up Your Efficiency

For many small business owners, a cluttered desk or office is a sign of success. Things are good, so there’s more that has to be done. But it doesn’t take much for office clutter to go from a source of pride to a serious, potentially overwhelming problem.

Motivation Matters in Getting the Best from Your Employees

One of the first and most important lessons an entrepreneur learns is that employees really are a small business’s most important resource. In fact, the business literally cannot succeed with out them. Their talent, skills, and effort truly add value to your products or services, allowing you to focus on the planning and creative issues that will move your business forward.

Point, Click, Read: The Power of Good Web Copy

Good writing is the fundamental element of all your small business marketing strategy. A thoughtful, well-crafted message that connects with your customers will do more to connect with your customers than any other element.

This is particularly true for websites. Although the web is a visual-driven medium, with sites using flashy graphics, sounds, and other fancy features, success still comes down to what you say and how you say it.

Ethics: Don't Do Business Without Them

Operating an honest, ethical business may seem like a no-brainer. But in today’s highly competitive business environment, the temptation to bend the rules looms large. And don’t think that it’s OK to do something “just this once.” Not only is a wrong choice always wrong, but one-time ethics breaches often become habits. And, once the reputation of you and your business are compromised, it may be impossible to repair the damage.

Equipment Leasing Equals Lasting Value

Ready to invest in some new equipment for your small business, but concerned about the added burden of a loan? Consider leasing. 

Not only does leasing help you conserve your cash, it also ensures that you don’t wind up paying for equipment that quickly becomes obsolete or unsuited for your needs. And if you need the equipment only for a short time or special project, leasing saves you the hassle of having to be both buyer and seller.

Maximize Your Web Site's Visibility and Value

“You do your best business on Main Street,” so the old saying goes. But for 21st Century small businesses, “Main Street” is the so-called Information Highway of the Internet.

While a Web site is now considered a must for most any kind of small businesses— whether it’s just a “billboard” or a full e-commerce site— just having an Internet presence is not enough. You must continually monitor and reevaluate its looks, function, and utility to make sure its meeting the needs of your business and— more importantly— hose of your customers.

Borrowing from Friends or Family Requires Wise Management

Friends and family are an invaluable source of support for the aspiring small business owner. And often, they’re an invaluable source of financial assistance as well.

In fact, more small businesses rely on loans from friends and family than any other funding source. Familiarity with the person and his/her business goals, the investment opportunity, and the ability to monitor the venture’s progress are among the major reasons why friends and family members willingly contribute to a start-up or expansion.

Build a Better Business by Listening to Your Customers

Do you ever wonder what your customers think of your business? Are you meeting their expectations? Are there area’s that need improvement? Will they like that product or service enhancement you’ve been thinking about?

All those answers and more are there for the asking. All you have to do is listen.

Franchising is Fun and Rewarding — If You Do Your Homework

Franchising has been characterized as a way to be in business for yourself, without being by yourself. Rather than having to “reinvent the wheel,” a franchise owner can take advantage of tested concepts and proven operational and marketing strategies, as well as the franchisor’s institutional knowledge and guidance. 

In Search of Big Customers for Your Small Business

Landing a public institution, government agency or major corporation as a customer can be a big coup for your small business—IF you can find and meet with the right people. If you’ve been having difficulty getting your proverbial “foot in the door, the Small Business Administration’s Business Matchmaking program may be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

Change is Coming: Don't Let It Leave Your Small Business Behind

Predicting the future is one of humankind’s oldest endeavors. Nearly everything from tealeaves to caterpillars has served as a bellwether of fate. Twenty-first Century small business owners can draw on a host of technology and information resources to chart the course of their enterprises. But given the increasing pace and unpredictability of change, one can’t help but wonder if those caterpillars might really know something.

Understand the Many Facets of Franchising

Franchising is a popular way for entrepreneurs to fast-forward their small business ownership ambitions. Franchisors provide a tested and proven base structure of the business, freeing their franchisees from having to invent the operational wheel. Franchisors also provide ongoing guidance, innovations, and tested marketing materials. And new opportunities emerge on an almost daily basis. According to the International Franchise Association (IFA), 900 new concepts were launched between 2003 and 2005.

Secure Your Database from Information Leaks

Locks, alarms, and cameras can help safeguard your facilities and equipment.  But what about your computer databases—the places where valuable, sensitive, and potentially irreplaceable assets of your small business are stored?

Give the Boss — You — A Well Deserved Break

“Be careful what you wish for; you may just get it.” That adage certainly applies to owning a small business.  Being your own boss has many rewards, but success usually requires a lot of hard work and long hours that can take a toll on your emotional health. The result is burnout, a condition that also has mental and physical consequences. 

Loyalty Comes from Making a Commitment to Your Customers

The competitive nature of today’s world may be intimidating to the small business owner. If a competitor cuts prices or offers other incentives, you may feel tempted to do the same thing in order to hold on to your customers, even if it puts the stability of your business at risk.

Though cost is important to customers today, it is but one component of a larger, more important attribute—value. If your business provides it through service, responsiveness, and going the “extra mile,” your customers will respond with loyalty, regardless of what your competition does.

Make Your Website Memorable for the Right Reasons

As more and more customers rely Internet search engines and online directories to locate sources of products and services, Web sites are increasingly becoming a “must” for all types of small businesses. 

But it’s not enough to simply have a presence on the Web. Unless your site is set up with the customer’s needs in mind, it may be doing very little to benefit your business.

To Your Good (Business) Health: Get to Know Your Cash Flow

Just as watching your blood pressure is important to your personal health, monitoring cash flow is vital to the well-being of your business. Minor “hiccups” may be expected, but they can also be an early warning of bigger, potentially chronic problems ahead, especially if other indicators such as sales seem positive.

Though critically important, monitoring and predicting cash flow is actually a matter of consistently following some simple, common-sense financial management practices. 

Business Planning: The Next Generation

Starting a small business requires extensive planning and research. But just because things are up and running doesn’t mean your days as a strategist are done. In fact, they are just beginning.

Planning is an ongoing necessity because the environment in which your small business operates continually changes.  New opportunities and challenges will arise that are different than those assessed during the start-up stage. Your initial financial projections may be literally and figuratively on the money—or trending in a different and unexpected direction.

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