Tips for Small Business Bloggers

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After two weeks of traveling and family visits, it was refreshing to have the past fews days alone in my office. I utilized the solitude to collect some notes and to schedule my remaining work weeks for 2009. To plot changes in my schedule and to examine my priorities.

A tangible change for this site will be the merging it with my main (and recently revamped) site, The Star Garden.

Although there are some topics specific to for rural business development, I have learned that most of my regular readers simply want links and quick reference. Thus, merging the resources I post here with the posts and resources at The Star Garden just made sense.

So … What about those tips? Click here.

Do it. Now.

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“I don’t have time.” Common answer to any sort of suggestion regarding adding something new to one’s business day. Freelancers and small business owners get particularly dazed when I introduce them to being online — being active in social media.

When you fall into a trap, you know it. It binds you — it hurts! — and it prevents you from moving on … It keeps you from your journey and your dreams in the distance — as they fade from view.

The most common trap?

Blogging (and being social) conversation versus content

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There has long been discussion regarding how to increase traffic and “circulation” of one’s blog. I myself tend to lean on relationship (conversation) and networking-servanthood.

However, it has never been about the numbers for me.

I blog because I have been an advocate and resource person since I was self-employed in college. It has been my experience that when one person has a question or a need, said person is merely the first one in a line of others who seek the same. Engaging in conversations and networking what is learned have always (always!) inspires action!

Twitter 101 Guide for Business

While I realize the jury is still out for some of my local micro- and small business friends, I remain a proponent of Twitter as an essential business tool.

So, of course I was delighted to learn that Twitter has compiled a list of key business practices and how-to’s for its innovative social media offering. They created a downloadable guide, “Twitter 101 for Business” which is brimming with useful, easy-to-implement information and helps.

Twitter is a communications platform that helps businesses and their customers do a number of useful things. As a business, you can use it to quickly share information with people interested in your company, gather real-time market intelligence and feedback, and build relationships with customers, partners and other people who care about your company. As an individual user, you can use Twitter to tell a company (or anyone else) that you’ve had a great—or disappointing—experience with their business, offer product ideas, and learn about great offers. — Source

• A related resource, The Twitter Guidebook, is available from Mashable (the fabulous social media guide!).

Summer Harvest

Wheat Harvest, Grady County, Oklahoma
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It seems that both my online and local business buddies (as well as myself!) are officially on summer break! Planning and writing and brainstorming become somewhat second banana to outdoor activities, family gatherings and surviving the heat of the July sun!

However, with only a few minutes this morning (before I officially start an early weekend!) I decided to share some excellent resource links. It was inspiring as I scheduled an early morning “appointment” with Google Reader to catch up — and I am eager to share a few links!

Starting with Becky McCray‘s Small Biz Survival, Brag Basket. I do so because she was one of the first folks I connected with via Twitter as the result of a keyword search of “rural business” … Remarkable stroke of luck on my part! She is multi-faceted and her mind is brimming with ideas and inspiration!

Advertising 101: Getting Started

Main Street — Slaton, Texas
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When thinking of advertising, the old saying comes to mind – “It takes money to make money.” In other words, you have to spend money in order to attract customers/clients, who in turn buy your product/service giving you more money. And one of the best places to start spending money is with advertising.

What does the word “advertising” cover?

• Print: business cards, newspaper ads, yellow page ads, trade magazine ads, promotional mailings, press releases, billboards;
• Web: websites, banner ads, affiliate programs, blogs, social media outlets;
• Radio/Television: commercials, calendar of events, press releases

When starting out, affordability should be the focus. What can you afford to do? Where can you find the best rates? Is there any ‘free’ advertising available?

Self-Employment in Rural America

“Self-Employment in Rural America” is a report published by the Rural Sociological Society and provides information about interesting key factors regarding self-employment as well as other data specifically pertaining to the self-employed in rural areas.

Self-employment is the new reality for a growing segment of the U.S. Labor force, and more so in rural than in urban areas. Although self-employment potentially holds many opportunities for rural economies, earnings of the rural self-employed lag significantly and increasingly behind those of traditional workers. More …

Vacation Menu

Amidst the various events of May, I have been organizing some notes to maintain the momentum of late. Which will be especially useful upon my return from vacation next week! Vacation time offers pockets of time (waiting for flights, picnics, no home chores …) in which we can leisurely read through books.

This summer I plan to enjoy the long, hot days in plan-mode as I organize and write classes for September start dates. I also have some posts of my own scheduled as well as other posts written by some fabulous fellow rural entrepreneurs! So stay tuned!

As I pack for my trip, my business journal and a couple of books are tucked away in the suitcase side pocket. And I leave you with a short list of books I recommended:

Tap your values (not your ego).

Ann Holman: [S]tart a business that taps into your values not your ego. Consider a business that brings out your character not your persona. Be motivated by your passion not money and create something that has true meaning to yourself. Start something interesting. Start something that is going to make a difference to people’s lives. More …

Sometimes the first step is the hardest: coming up with an idea. Coming up with an idea should be like sitting on a pin. It should make you jump up and do something. ~Kemmons Wilson

Teamwork

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None of us is as smart as all of us. ~Ken Blanchard

It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. Consider the tower being constructed in the image above. It is being built one floor at a time by a company that employs numerous employees — each with their own specialty.

One floor at a time — with the expertise and contribution of one person at a time.

Obviously, as a sole proprietor, freelancer or microbusiness person, you don’t have a large staff and millions of dollars of equipment. However, you can work on a “floor” of your business each day to build the business you dream for tomorrow.