Your Website

Manny Salomon smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Build it, and they will come. But we’re not talking baseball here: we’re talking about your company website. Creating a website that clearly reflects who you are, what you do or offer, and who you help is not unlike building a house. You start with the foundation, then worry about paint colors and furniture. So where do you start? Domain ...

Selling Under the Influence – How do YOU work with various Communication Styles?

Mark Cichowski smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Every personality is not absolute. People can reflect three styles, but typically not the fourth. Refer to the grid below. An Analyst personality may also have traits from a Driver or Relater, but less likely an Expressor. A Driver may have traits of an Analyst and Expressor, but less likely warm and fuzzy Relater traits. Perhaps sometimes, but not their core. Opposite styles ...
Attention to Details

Pay Attention to the Details

Marilyn Sanford smartPRENEUR Blog Series

How to Boost Productivity A 2017 study by NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses) revealed that 56% of small business owners consider communication is key to boosting productivity. Further, it stated that the most powerful way to boost productivity is to optimize task management systems, so that the details don’t become protracted, and processes are easily captured and repeated.   No surprise ...
Breathe

It’s Good To Take A Breath and Appreciate Your World

Tom Coffin smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Do you pride yourself on being a work-aholic? Your typical day starts before the sun comes up. You didn’t sleep well last night because your mind was racing with thoughts; things to accomplish, goals to smash, phone calls to be made, designs to do. Do you often say “I can't, I'm too busy?” Busy for the sake of being busy ...
SWOT

How to use a SWOT Analysis to build a strategic plan

Jason Sayen smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Have you ever built a strategic plan for your company?  It’s a daunting process that can take hours and leave you even more overwhelmed than before you started.  The SWOT Analysis tool is a simple and easy to use tool that can help you build a strategic plan in a quicker and more organized fashion. What is a SWOT analysis? ...

Make it: Better, Different, Special!

Manny Salomon smartPRENEUR Blog Series

So much of building a successful business is about mindset. When it comes to marketing and expanding your company, you can’t simply promote the same products and services for eternity. You have to continuously make your business itself better — not just the marketing of it. You have to spend time figuring out how to differentiate your offerings, and how ...

Selling Under the Influence – Influence Buying Behaviors of Communication Styles

Mark Cichowski smartPRENEUR Blog Series

In the last blog, we identified style traits. Let’s look at how to work with those traits. Communication Style: The Driver - Result Driven - Confrontation No Problem  Be direct and to the point, quick & concise  Be businesslike, avoid ‘fuzzy’ conversations  Provide well thought-out recommendations  Stick with tasks and results  Avoid stories, too many opinions and surprises  Present a ...
Effective vs Efficiency

Effective vs. Efficient

Marilyn Sanford smartPRENEUR Blog Series

Is the process or activity effective? Efficiencies are typically at the heart of planning and tracking business.  Ways to ensure efficiency may include:  tools, training, tracking systems, supervision, etc.  We have lots of ways to highlight and ensure efficiencies.  The question that is rarely asked: is the process or activity effective?  There is an important distinction. A highway may be ...