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•From Small Business To Big Business Ben Jerry s Homemade Ice Cream
Once in awhile a small business comes along that helps to change the way we think and feel about a product. While many small businesses have the potential to do this very few do. Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream started as a small business and while growing big managed to change forever how we think about ice cream. In doing so they built a small business to big business success story that anyone could be proud of and should be inspired by.
So how did it all start? If you can believe it...
•Know Your Business Inside And Out
Really understanding your business and your industry is a key step towards becoming successful. It's not about just opening a book and thinking you can learn what to do to make your business thrive. There are a lot of different aspects in business. Things like management, marketing, human resources, and taxes that have to be understood. In addition you need to understand exactly how they apply to your business.
When we think about the management issues of your business what comes to mind?...
•Do Not Rely To Much On Just One Customer
Often for a small business to get over the hump it can be seen as necessary to land that one big client. The whale within the sea. If that does happen for you great. But have you ever considered what would happen to your business if you lost that client? Just as they were able to help your company make that great leap forward they could also destroy your business if they were to suddenly disappear on you. That's why it is so important to keep a diverse clientele.
The old saying never put all...
•Do You Need Key Man Insurance
? Most small businesses will come to rely upon certain employees to do very important jobs. These are jobs that are critical to the success of the business and these employees are very good at what they do. They are not easily replaced. They may be your General Manager, Project Manager, Bookkeeper, Sales Manager, or any number of other jobs that may be specific to what your business does. If something unforeseen were to happen to them it could throw your company into chaos. Sales could be lost,...
•Are You Thinking Of Diversifying Your Product Line Think Long And Hard Before You Do
Are You Thinking Of Diversifying Your Product Line? Think Long And Hard Before You Do Sometimes in business we get a little excited and sometimes we get a little bored. Running a small business can be exciting at times. Especially as you reach each of those all important milestones you've set for yourself. So we can be excused once in a while if we get excited. But you'd think it would be hard for us to be bored considering all the things we have to do each day. Well a lot of what we have...
•Sometime You Should Slow Down Your Growth
Often it takes the growth of a business to really feel like you are making progress in the world. To know that what you are doing is working well and to justify the steps you have taken so far to get where you are. But sometimes the growth of a business can take on a life of its own. It seems to become a never ending cycle of landing new clients, launching new products, finding more funding, and hiring new employees. Often though because of the rapidness of your growth you can find yourself...
•Your Suppliers Are Your Partners
Forging strong relationships with your suppliers can be critical to the success of your company. And like any relationship you need to embrace building and strengthening that relationship. You may only see yourself as a customer and them as a vendor but your relationship can be much more than that. You may say that there are other suppliers out there and that may well be true but will having to start all over give you more value or less. And if you do a lot of business with other small...
•Finding Managers Within Your Organization
If you plan on growing an organization that requires employees of any significant number you are going to need managers to lead and guide them. But some businesses are often very specialized. It can be hard to hire just anyone. Many people go out and get a degree in business. They may specialize in management, human resources, marketing and any number of other business specialties. But just because they are trained to manage people within an organization it does not mean they can manage people...
•What Are The Four P s Of The Marketing Mix
? Effective marketing of a small business service or product can be hard. Often you have to compete with much bigger companies that have much larger marketing budgets. So if you want to develop an effective marketing plan then you should know about the 4 P's. So what are the four P's of the marketing mix anyway? Product, price, place, and promotion are your keywords in the marketing mix. So what exactly do they mean?
Well first let's talk about Product. The product is of course what you are...
•Do You Know What A Limited Liability Company Is
? An LLC is a legal form of business that has characteristics of both corporations and a partnership. This form of business offers limited liability protection to its owners. In other words the owners of the business cannot be held fully responsible for any debts that the business occurs or actions taken on its behalf. This type of business form is best suited for small businesses with that have a small number of owners and preferably just one.
So what are some of the basic characteristics of...
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