Carnival of Small Business Issues

Carnival of Small Business Issues - Edition 11

Welcome to the 11th edition of the Carnival of Small Business Issues.

It was an awesome week out here Halifax, Nova Scotia. The weather gods could have cooperated - but nevertheless that did not keep the tall ship enthusiasts away from the waterfront.

Over 30 tall ships from across the world made their way to Halifax. It was a great sight to watch them sail away.

As they make their way back to their respective countries, we present you with the 11th edition of Carnival of Small Business Issues.

I have not included posts that only serve as promotional posts and that do not provide any insights to a small business owner. As always, I will consider submissions received after the Sunday midnight deadline for next week’s Carnival.

I wonder if everyone will link back to the carnival this week! Based on the past experiences, I think not. Will you all prove me wrong?

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Pick of the crop

I decided to introduce this category going forward. I will decide on one article that I think was the best submission for the week. The other articles are good too - but this one stood out from among the rest.

• Never Assume is written by Wilson Ng at Reflections of a BizDrivenLife. “Don’t guess. Don’t assume. Ask!” A short tale on Richard Branson (Virgin group) and his humbling experience.

Marketing

• I have become a fan of Tupelo Kenyon over the last couple of weeks. He has a unique writing style that is unique and that compels you to read what he has to say. He talks about Work - Just a Job or Visible Love. Literature is littered with articles on this topic. You may remember such sayings like, “If you love your work, you will never have to work a single day in your life.” But Tupelo says, “Just getting a job is okay for many; it allows our society to function - but for those of us who demand more out of life, a job is not enough… it’s a long way from where you are to where you want to be … It’s all about choosing … Do you love what you do and do what you love? Here’s a step-by-step method on how to put your passions to work and start living the life you were born to live. “
• Raj Dash also writes at LogoDesign Works, among other blogs. He writes about 11 pros and cons of promoting your business online.

Comment: Raj, really some good points. But I do find that nothing beats quality content. For some keywords, articles from this blog show up in the first page of SERP and I am not spending a dime on promotions. Just write quality content and it is guaranteed your site will appear in the first two pages of an organic Google search results. However, a small business needs to find a niche within those competitive keywords. You can’t compete head on with the large guys, but you can work around them.

• Bill Willard’s articles are no stranger to this carnival. Bill writes at The Freestyle Entrepreneur and has been churning out high-impact articles for over 30 years. Bill makes a case for Writing articles as an affordable internet marketing method: What a ghostwriter can do for you. “… when keywords are typed on search boxes of search engines, indexed websites containing articles with those keywords will be displayed. This is what leads traffic to websites with keyword-rich articles. The magic word is articles …”
• Terry Dean tells us about 20 ways to add value to your products and services. Terry is dedicated to coaching entrepreneurs on how to earn more and work less.

Comment: It is an apt lesson Terry. ” … people aren’t buying your book, your ebook or your CD. They are buying the end result …” Successful marketers and sales people realize that and those are the people who are usually successful.

HR

• Michelle Cramer has also been a regular participant in this carnival. Michelle writes at Great FX Business Cards. In this day and age where the morality and ethics of management is being questioned, Michelle comes up with Leading by example in a world of copy cats. “Every part of business (and personal life) in which you are trying to teach someone goes back to the fact that people will duplicate the actions they see from their superiors or those they admire.”

Operations

• “If you already have a good thing maybe the best way to expand isn’t by adding to the top, but by spreading the foundation.” Capforge uses the example of netshops.com to illustrate his point in his post Turning a small niche business into big business by using the rinse and repeat model.
• Tom writes at geekandfather.com. In one of the most relevant posts of this carnival, Tom talks about Disaster recovery. “… [disaster may occur] in the middle of the first vacation that you have taken in over five years, which you promised your spouse would not be interrupted for anything …”

Misc

• The Carnival of Small Business Issues Edition 9 had a post from Scott Allen at About Entrepreneurs where he presented us with the opportunity to ask questions to John Assaraf and Murray Smith. He now presents the interview - John Assaraf and Murray Smith interview: you can read it or hear it.
• I wonder when will we stop hearing the words, “to be successful you need to work hard”. Gone are those days … these days we need to work smart. Kathy at Making Home Work presents How to choose a great home business (in a not so great economy). ” … contrast this with the story that begins with answering one of those ads for internet kiosks … or watching the infomercial promising you the moon and stars if you just learn how to buy real estate … chances of success … pathetic”

Comment: That’s what I mean when I say working smart Kathy. Great examples. By the way, clicking on the “about” page displays a “page not found” error.

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Thanks to everyone for submitting your posts. I look forward to receiving more of them for next week’s carnival. Happy reading!