Should I Create a Business Plan Before I Launch?

Should I Create a Business Plan Before I Launch?

When you start a new business, it's important to plan ahead. It may seem like an overwhelming task to create a business plan, but if you take the time to do so, you might be surprised by what you learn. Even if you do not need a business plan to secure funding for your company, it's helpful to think about the finances, marketing, and logistics involved in creating your new brand. When you create your business plan, it will be easier to determine whether you have a viable business idea and where you might be able to improve your idea to create a more profitable business.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Preston Odenbrett

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Preston Odenbrett

Tell me a little about you and your company. 

Originally from the awesome state of Minnesota for 40 years. Married with a 10 year-old son, going on 15. Started company as a side line business when I was part of another startup which was still in the development.

How long have you owned your own business?

4 1/2 years

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How Do I Help My Brand Stand out in a Noisy Market?

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How Do I Help My Brand Stand out in a Noisy Market?

Do you ever feel like you are screaming into a wind tunnel? No matter what market your brand and business are in, consumers are inundated with so many messages every day that it can be difficult to stand out. Even if your market isn't highly competitive, your customers are still seeing tons of messages from the many brands who sell them other products and services. You want your brand to be remembered. You want your audience to hear or see your messages and think, "Yeah, that's me! That product could really help me."

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Create a Customer Profile to Maximize Your Marketing Efforts

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Create a Customer Profile to Maximize Your Marketing Efforts

Your customer should be at the center of your business and your marketing messages. If you take the time to identify your customer and create a customer profile (also called an avatar) that embodies your ideal customers or clients, you can create more directed messages that speak to that specific customer group.

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How Do I Create a Consistent Content Strategy?

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How Do I Create a Consistent Content Strategy?

Consistency is more than doing or saying the same thing again and again. It's also showing up where and when your potential customers expect to find you. If you create consistency in your messages, presence (both online and off), and schedule, you can form long-term relationships with your clients and customers that will generate incremental business over time.

Consistency should start with your branding. Your message should be present throughout and solidified within your website and any physical presence that you have. Your topics and individual articles can branch a bit further with the messages that you create and share through your email communication and your other customer outreach, but the underlying message should be the same across all channels and customer touchpoints.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on The Cocoon Company

The Interview Series: Spotlight on The Cocoon Company

Tell me a little about you and your company.

We are two sisters who grew up in a tight-knit family. Like many moms juggling a career and family, we strive to maintain a balance between our busy schedules and healthy lifestyles for our families. As avid supporters of the swaddling method, we both quickly realized we needed a way to keep our babies swaddled while in the car. Within a year of swaddling our little ones and finding nothing like we were looking for on the market, we began development for our own Car Seat Swaddle. This idea has opened the door to our Drool baby bib line and other innovative baby products for the future.

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Closing Down a Business

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Closing Down a Business

This month, I closed up shop on my ready-to-build arts and crafts business, Twined. I truly enjoyed the work that I did on Twined, but ultimately, I could not keep up with the demands of running two companies. The decision to close my business was incredibly difficult and it took months before I was finally ready to let it go.

It took almost eight months from the time I decided to close the business until I finally took down the website. It was a lengthy process, but I was determined to leave our stakeholders with the best possible impression of the company in the closing process. I've watched other companies close and leave open questions, outstanding bills, and pending orders. I wanted Twined to go out on the best note possible and leave our customers with the understanding that we valued their business and cared about them personally.

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Marketing Mix - The 4 Ps of Marketing

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Marketing Mix - The 4 Ps of Marketing

At Silver Shade Group, we help our clients with all different kinds of marketing solutions. Sometimes we edit or create print collateral, sometimes we write digital content, and sometimes we create brand or product launch strategies. In every case, the work comes down to the same basic concepts and questions. Who is my customer? What do they want to buy? How can I get my products in front of them at the right time? How do I price my products and services so that those customers will make a purchase? If you can answer these questions, you're on the path to a successful product launch, brand refresh, website update, or strategy session.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Ieva Laicane

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Ieva Laicane

Tell me a little about you and your company. 

Hei! My name is Ieva, I am a freelance web designer + strategist, working and traveling as a digital nomad. For now, I am located in Croatia although originally I am from the capital city of beautiful Latvia. All my offers, creative activities as well as traveling experiences & design/business/blogging advice can be found on www.therandomp.com. 

I've been freelancing for several years and recently I decided to come up with a help for all new freelancers out there. That is how my online course "Ready... Set... Start freelancing!'' was made.

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How Do I Use Keywords on My Website?

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How Do I Use Keywords on My Website?

A couple of months ago, we talked about how to do keyword research. That post explains how to find your keywords yourself within the Google Keyword Planner. If you prefer, there are other tools available that will provide you with a list of basic keywords for your website for a fee. You enter your business into their tool and they provide a list of keywords that you can use on your site to increase overall traffic.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Dannie Fountain

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Dannie Fountain

Tell me a little about you and your company. 

Hello! I’m Dannie Fountain of LE Consulting! I’m a native Michigander who recently made the move to Chicago and I’m loving the hustle and bustle of being in a much more populated area. I have a passion for travel and have certifications in open water diving and flight (student pilot), so I often tell clients that I can look at their marketing challenges from literally every angle! I have a BA in Media & Marketing Management from Albion College and an MS in Human Resource Management from Indiana Wesleyan University and I combine skills from the two to do much of my client work today. 

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Choose the Right Domain Name for Your Business

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Choose the Right Domain Name for Your Business

When you start a business, it’s important to choose a name that will allow you to select a domain name that pertains to your business or brand and is easy for your customers to remember. Obviously, if you have the option to get your brand name as your domain name, that is the best possible choice for your domain name. However, every single word .com domain name in the English language is taken. That means if your business name is a single word in English, you probably cannot get that .com domain unless you’re willing to pay more that the standard $10-$12 to get it. Many two word combinations are also taken, which limits your options even further.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Amy Kuretsky

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Amy Kuretsky

Tell me a little about you and your company. 

Hi! My name is Amy and I'm a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and health coach. But really what I do is help driven, type-A creatives balance their hustle with their health. I truly believe that as entrepreneurs, we are our businesses' most valuable asset - so let's start treating ourselves that way!


How long have you owned your own business? 

I've been working with clients for three years now, but I filed the paperwork to make it legit before I was even out of grad school! (Calling me an over-achiever would be putting it lightly.)

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Digital Marketing for Non-Digital Businesses

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Digital Marketing for Non-Digital Businesses

Nowadays, everyone is online. Whether you do business online or not, your customers are looking (searching) for you there. They want to know as much about you and their potential experience as possible before they walk in your door or pick up the phone. They want to interact with you via social media or email or another platform. Your customers are also looking for information, sometimes even from the front door or parking lot of your shop. If you don't provide that information, it will come from either generic search results or your competitor.

If you create a strong website that provides information about your business and your industry at large, you'll gain greater access to your audience and the ability to communicate with them directly. Your website should educate your clients about the experience they will have with you and the products and services that you offer. Whether you sell online or not, a website is always an opportunity for education.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Doctor's Travel

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Doctor's Travel

Tell me a little about you and your company. 

Well, my name is Shieka Doctor and I am the owner of Doctor’s Travel. I am also a wife of 12 years to the hubby and a mom of 3 (ages 15, 11 and 6). We are here for all travel needs but I specialize in planning destination weddings and honeymoons. I also have a travel and lifestyle blog called A Doctor’s Life.

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Write a Better About Page

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Write a Better About Page

Your About page is probably the second most visited page on your website. Unfortunately, many professionals and entrepreneurs struggle to write their About page. Even product-based businesses need an About page that describes the roots of the company and the reason for being. No matter what kind of business you operate, you can follow a basic formula to write a better About page.

Your About page should feature the best features and qualification of your business. Why do you perform your services or sell your products? What was your best moment in business? Did you have a turning point that put you on the path to success that you're on today? We'll call those your highlights. Create a list of those company highlights that you want your customers and clients to know. The list can be as long as you want. You can pare it down as you write the content for the page and you can even create a timeline if it gets too long.

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Megan Carty

The Interview Series: Spotlight on Megan Carty

Tell me a little about you and your company.

Hi, I'm Megan Carty of Megan Carty Art! I grew up in a mill town just outside of beautiful (and inspirational!) coastal Portland, Maine. I had a whimsical childhood where art had a place in everyday life.  After I earned my B.F.A. degree from Syracuse University’s School of Art and Design I spent many years doing graphic design work for a wide assortment of retail clients; but was left feeling unfulfilled and without purpose.  Inspired by my life-long dream to be a full-time painter, I'm thrilled to now be focused on my purpose to uplift others through my abstract fine art work. My colorful paintings and prints reside with collectors all over the United States and the United Kingdom. My bubbly personality shows through in my colorful floral, coastal, and abstract paintings as I try to spread joy one painting at a time. When I'm not painting I run around barefoot with my sweet husband Chris and our three small children in the countryside of charming Pepperell, Massachusetts.

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Google Analytics Setup: Part 2 - Create Goals

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Google Analytics Setup: Part 2 - Create Goals

Now that you know how to collect tracking information using Google Analytics, you can create goals to track whether your visitors are taking certain actions on your site. Setting up goals will give you the ability to easily determine the percentage of your visitors that sign up for your mailing list or make a purchase. To set up a goal within Google Analytics, follow the steps below.

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Google Analytics Setup: Part 1 - Collect Tracking Information

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Google Analytics Setup: Part 1 - Collect Tracking Information

Google Analytics is a powerful and comprehensive free(mium) tool that you can use to gain information about the visitors to your website. Using Google Analytics, you can determine demographic and geographic details about your customers, as well as their behavior on your site. Since there is a lot to learn about Google Analytics, we'll be doing a short series about the tool that includes more than one post. We'll show you how to get started and how to analyze some of the data that you collect for your site. The first post in our Google Analytics series will walk you through the basic setup process to collect tracking information for your website.