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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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.

6 Simple Steps for Getting Things Done at Your Small Business

Whether you are running a for-profit or nonprofit business, an ability to organize efforts and initiatives is a necessary skill to achieve success. Effectively executing efforts and accomplishing goals requires planning and coordination among team members (which may be a combination of employees, vendors, suppliers, contractors, etc.).

 While some small business owners seem to have a natural knack for project management, it is not everyone’s strength. Do not feel defeated if it is not yours and you do not have the resources to hire a professional project manager.

Email Marketing Rules Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know

According to the Direct Marketing Association, the typical ROI (return on investment) for email marketing is about 4,300 percent. With that kind of effectiveness, it’s definitely a marketing activity worth considering for your small business. But before you blast out your first message, you need to know the rules.

How The Business Structure You Select Affects Your Income Tax Treatment

The business structure you choose for your startup will affect your company from a legal standpoint, and it will have an impact on your taxes, as well. Before you decide on the structure for your small business, you should do some research and talk to tax and legal professionals for guidance. The better you understand your options, the more likely you’ll be to operate under the structure that will benefit your business the most.

An Overview of A Few of the Most Common Business Structures

Sole Proprietorship

Simple Tips for Better Time Management

With so many responsibilities to tend to as a small business owner, it is easy to get overwhelmed and fall short on what you want to accomplish. If you are a new entrepreneur who formerly worked for an employer other than yourself, you may discover managing time has become more challenging. That is natural. After all, you have gone from having your work schedule and priorities set for you to needing to prioritize every project and task related to running your business.

Tips For Choosing The Right CRM Platform For Your Small Business

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems offer technology to streamline a company’s ability to interact with current and future customers. A CRM system essentially provides a central place where businesses can store customer and prospect data, track customer interactions, and share this information with colleagues. It allows businesses to manage relationships with customers, helping the business to grow.

A good introduction to the benefits of having a CRM system can be seen at …

How To Find The Right Accountant For Your Small Business

Your business success depends on many factors. Managing your money well and understanding your finances are two of the most critical. Unless you are an accountant by trade, it is likely you will need some outside guidance and insight as you start and grow your company.

Getting help from an accountant can benefit your business in a number of ways:

Press Release Basics for Small Business Owners

Press releases remain among the most effective ways to generate awareness of your small business and its products and services. Media outlets may reproduce a press release as is (or with some editing), or follow up about creating a longer story. A press release that gets picked up by reporters, bloggers, and others who share information with potential customers can result in media attention that facilitates interest in your company, builds credibility, and ultimately leads to more revenue.

Closing Sales Starts With Building Trust

Making the sale, especially when your small business offers products and services to other businesses, demands more than being good at what you do. It also requires building professional relationships. To do that, you must earn your customers’ trust.

There’s no scientific formula for earning trust. It requires time, patience, and honest effort.

Here are some suggestions to help you lay a foundation of trust with your potential customers:

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