This week in small business: Special New Year’s 2018 expanded edition
This Week in Small Business took a hiatus between Christmas and New Year’s, so this edition of curated content covers two weeks worth of top-notch articles from around cyberspace. Enjoy, but pace yourself!
Leadership, management, and productivity
Courtney Connley gives us five things we should do to boost our productivity in 2018. The email idea in number two seems pretty good.
Laura Emily Dunn profiles Katie Witkin, Co-Founder and COO of the AGW Group, in this edition of Women in Business Q&A. With clients like Red Bull, HBO, and Condé Nast, Witkin draws on a wealth of experience.
As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” For some deeper insights, check out Amy Morin’s article on the five ways mentally strong people set themselves up for success.
Sam McRoberts contends that the system is rigged, but he doesn’t whine about it – he gives you some great strategies for beating the system!
It’s always risky going out on a limb and predicting trends, but I think Bridget Weston Pollack is on pretty solid ground with her three 2018 trends for small business.
Bringing thoughtful control to the relationship between you and your email client is fundamental to productivity. Sreeram Sreenivasan gives us five tips to help us manage our inbox “like a boss.”
They say that the two happiest days in a boat owner’s life is when he buys his boat and when he sells his boat. That pattern is true for some businesses as well and if you want to maximize your happiness at the sale of your business, review Shakir Akorede’s 3 Signs It’s a Smart Time to Sell Your Online Business.
You may see stress as your ultimate enemy, but Tyler McConville puts a different twist on the topic, explaining how to use stress to triple your workplace productivity.
Marketing and sales
How about learning digital marketing in 14 days? Ankit Shukla provides the blueprint.
Writing for the Shopify blog, Nick Hajicosti boils down email marketing to four essentials, but he hits all the critical details required for success.
If things are hectic in your business, you need to check out Shivangi Sharma’s Busy Marketer’s Guide to Storytelling & Digital Marketing.
John Pilmer explains how the new media – including blogs and podcasts – give every business owner new opportunities for PR.
I think you’ll find at least two or three ideas you haven’t yet tried in Alyssa Gregory’s article on highly effective small biz local marketing ideas.
The folks at Esferasoft Solutions chronicle how a landing page became their best Internet marketing tool.
What better way to start the new year than with some solid sales tips? Al Davidson gives us a few in this article. Continuing on this topic; if direct sales are your thing, you’ll appreciate Kevin Kruse’s profile of Betty Palm, Avon’s president of social selling.
Nathan Colombo shares some good ways local businesses can collect email addresses in his article that covers email list basics.
Brands can use the ever-growing Internet of things to market their products or services and attract more customers, says Irfan Ahmed Khan in his article on content marketing and the IoT.
Writing for the Marketo blog, Katrina Niemisto delivers an SEO “cheat sheet” designed to introduce you to on-page optimization best practices.
Entrepreneurship, startups, and innovation
Indie brands are disrupting all kinds of market sectors. In this article, Warren Becker shares what entrepreneurs can learn about scaling from indie beauty companies.
Do you have the right stuff? To find out, read Ryan Robinson’s Entrepreneur piece on 4 Must-Have Qualities of a Reliable Startup Co-founder. And, if you want more insights, read Angela Kambouris’ article, Unwavering Focus Is the Super Power of All Elite Entrepreneurs.
You’re planning the website for your startup; you need to get the homepage right. Review Victor Ijidola’s 5 homepage tips before you put your designer and coder to work.