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Why Independent Businesses Must Do More Than Donate

October 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Worked to Keep Austin Neighborhood & Small Independent Business Friendly

Next month, it will be four years since I became the Business Liaison Chair for Responsible Growth for Northcross (RG4N).

I chose to get involved because I am a business owner, a small business activist and I live and work in the area.

Last night was the VIP opening of the more neighborhood-sized WalMart on Anderson Lane in Austin, Texas. The RG4N board was invited and several of us went including the original President, Paige Hill.

Our efforts to stop the supercenter were not about size as much as about the impact of that size. That impact includes traffic, litter, security, safety issues for those with disabilities, crime, air and water quality. It was also about the impact on locally owned stores that do not fare well with a big box, especially a WalMart, nearby. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community Activism, Networking, Small Business Advocacy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How can you have a breakthrough in business every day?

October 1, 2010 By 2 Comments

There’s nothing better than to have a “Eureka” moment when you own a business. You struggle and come at the problem from different angles and all of a sudden there’s a “flash” and a “pop” and it all fits nicely in place.

When this happens to you, do you:

  1. Breathe a sigh of relief?
  2. Jump for joy?
  3. Clap your hands?
  4. Slap the back of the nearest “ole fella” whether you know them or not, whether they have played any part in this or not?
  5. Just go back to slugging it out on the next problem?

I hope you do 1-4 because breakthroughs, no matter how small, deserve a “hurrah”. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Management, Planning & Vision, Research Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Prospects Should Be Courteous

September 25, 2010 By 2 Comments

I invited a business owner to come and talk to me about where he wanted to go with his business. I thought from what he told me about his concept that I might be able to help with his business vision and provide strategy that would get him the sales he wanted.

He accepted and he and his partners came — or most of them did.

Within a few minutes of starting our meeting, one of his partners began to get cell phone calls all of which he took. I consider that rude.

I deal only with small business owners. I know that calls can be critical and that owners feel they have to wear all the hats at first and do everything. I don’t mind if they need to take a short call or deal with an emergency.

However, if they are expecting an important call, then it would be courteous to let me know when we begin. I also think if the call is important enough to interrupt our meeting for some time, they should be courteous of my time and just reschedule. Things happen. I respect that. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sales Tagged With: , , , , , ,