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Lessons you can learn from a dog I remember my father sharing this analogy, which is very applicable to any business. It is particularly applicable when I read online reviews of businesses that contain the comment, "if you can't find it anywhere else, you can find it at (name of business)". This is true for both product and service-oriented businesses. A dog with a full food bowl does not go looking at other dog food bowls! Yes, observing your dog can teach you a lesson about your business and your customers. This analogy is applicable in so many ways. It can apply to you having appropriate inventory on hand. It can apply to your service business by being available in a timely manner. It can apply to a business that is listening to its customers. I have experienced many times with an owner who is asked for something or a service they do not offer. The owner then turns to me and says, "I am asked for that all the time". My response is to ask if the owner might consider that, with that many inquiries, their business should offer that product or service. If a customer is having their wants and needs met, they are not likely to look at other businesses to do business with. It is true with humans, and it is true with your dog. Article of the Month - The article of the month uses an analogy of a friend and their fishing gear. We then compare the tools of a tackle box to a point of sale system and the tools it contains. Much like today's cell phones, you likely only use a part of the capacity of the point of sale system. As most of us have heard about the three ways to increase profits in our business, the article of the month gives examples of where you can focus your attention to make that happen in your small business. Book of the month - Harley Davidson; Star Trek; Jimmy Buffett. What do these three share in common? Each has a following that could be discussed as a cult. Do you remember the series of television commercials by Hertz that had the line, "There is Hertz and then there is not exactly"? Could the same be said about your small business? The authors share the stories of nine businesses that have cult followings. And from the nine example businesses, they share what they call the "seven golden rules of cult branding". Internet Tool for Your Business - It seems the world thinks that the words "margin" and "markup" are interchangeable. They are not. When you do the math to obtain your margin, the answer is substantially different from the answer in calculating a markup. If someone is talking with you about your margin or markup, you need to know if that person knows the difference and how each are calculated. We'll show you how each is calculated and provide you with the opportunity to use our online calculator to determine the answer for your product or service. Each month, we highlight one of the 47 free tools on the Profits Plus website; we call them "calculators". While some provide analysis by numbers and ratios, some are assessments, and others are self-examination questions. Many are downloadable, while others, due to the complexity of the calculations taking place behind the scenes, are part of the website and allow you to print your answers. None of them requires you to give any personal information, nor are there any "cookies" tracking you or your information. Internet Tool for Your Business Staff Incentive for Your Business It is football season for high schools, colleges, and professionals. This year, there seems to be more teams that have gotten into the practice of having an award for a player who has done something outstanding. Some of the awards look like the championship belts from wrestling, while others look like versions of shoulder pads. And there have been other variations. The players are very excited about giving and receiving the award. What if your business had an award? Not a trophy or plaque, and not something the recipient is going to take home with them. Just something that puts some fun in the business and allows all of your employees and customers to enjoy the hard work of someone working in your business.
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MARCH 2026
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With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading Small Business Management Expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.
Small Business
Every time I see the logo for Target stores, I think about small businesses and the need to know which people to target as their customers. Of course, of most importance is the person who has spent any money with your business.
I ask businesses if they know how much the average person spends with their business. Most offer a quick response with a dollar amount. That answer is incorrect as they are telling me what the average existing customer is spending. The average person in any community spends no money with that small business.
Looking for new customers without any plan of how to do so is just spending money. That is why every small business needs to know how to find and use information. Find ideas in the March Small Business Advisory.
Small Business
Employee retention; is it important? Or is it easier to lose an employee and wait for the next applicant to walk in the door? The Small Business News for March shares some statistics of the expense you incur when you make the change instead of working to retain a current employee.
It is baseball season and we use the sport as an explanation of the cost of growing your business. In Boston's Fenway Park, left field has a wall that is know as the green monster.
And that is what growing your business is - a monster! You can't successfully grow your business without a plan and knowing you will have the cash on hand to pay for the growth.
Are you selling something or persuading the customer? With your employees are you repeatedly telling that employee or are you persuading them to excel?
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Ciaidini is our suggested book for March 2026. Most definitely an appropriate read.
All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.
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