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Obviously, small business success begins and ends with the customer. Especially in difficult economic times like these...

When it comes to image, perception IS reality. And first "perceptions" are critical. As a small business owner, your company image is formed in a prospect's mind with their first contact...

Recently, I was contacted by a company that I had worked with early in their history that had grown very nicely and quite profitably. However, when they reached a certain revenue level and they seemed to "stall out,"...

As with most of my blog posts, a recent encounter with a client and one of their key suppliers triggered this one. The supplier had negotiated a "sweetheart deal," hammering out an almost-untenable agreement with my client...

I had a small business client whose relationship with a key vendor was, at best, rocky. The client was one of the vendor's largest and most visible customers. Yet, response time to specific requirements, problems or issues, while never all that good ...

There's probably no one area were more mistakes are made, more misconceptions exist or that troubles entrepreneurs and small business owners more than that of raising outside investment.

I can't tell you how many business plans I have read that were built on a business concept that simply could not work. Too often an entrepreneur, full of passion and bent on hard work, ventures out into a business...

Sales is the lifeblood of business growth, but is followed very closely by customer service. Just so we're on the same page, my definition of customer service is building and maintaining customer relationships (the C-R of CRM).

All too often I have encountered new entrepreneurs who tell me that their product is so unique that it has no competition and riches are just around the corner.