On this subject, I like to refer to the book written by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers. The following are a few highlights, intermingled with a few of my thoughts. Creativity isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. In business, creativity is a way of life. Creativity is also an internal process; it has to grow from within. I believe that each one of us has the ability to be very creative if we open both our minds and hearts to the process. To continually develop your own creativity, you … [Read more...]

Why do I spend so much time on the subject of marketing for small businesses? Why don’t I spend more time on the management side that is also critical for growth and survival? I can best answer that by sharing my experiences. The reason most small businesses fail is because they don’t have any clients to buy their products or services. Until a small business has the income base established to focus on growth, staff and management, I use a two-step method in setting up an initial, simple, … [Read more...]

Consider the following scenario: A husband and wife, both working, would like to try their hand at starting a business. Neither have any previous business experience and don’t have a particular type of business to start. After several visits, we came up with the following action plan: First rule was to select a low-cost business. We set a budget of $1500 for start up capital. The next step was to select a low risk business as well as a “learning” business. Knowing that this first … [Read more...]