Q: Will the proposed new “G.I. Bill of Rights” do anything to help veteran-owned small businesses?

Will

A: I wish that were so, but it’s not. The new G.I. Bill would help returning veterans with education, and it would help small business owners hire better qualified veteran employees, but it is not intended to help veteran small business owners per se.

That said, the good news is that there are nevertheless some very good programs out there for the veteran entrepreneur. (More on that in a moment.)

First, some background:

As World War II wound down, Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, more commonly known as the G.I. Bill of Rights. That law gave every veteran the financial wherewithal to go to the college of their choice.

That is no small thing.

Fully 90% of enlisted men and women do not have a college degree because most enter the service right after high school. At the same time, almost 400,000 service men and women now leave the armed forces every year. This means that most end up entering the job market without much needed higher education.

And employers, small business and large corporation alike, often like to hire employees with a college degree. But without a G.I. Bill for today, these troops are left to their own devices.

Yes, over the years, Congress has increased the amount offered for veteran education, but it still lags far behind the current cost of a higher education.

That is why Senator Jim Webb of Virginia introduced a new G.I. Bill. His legislation proposes to raise the annual allowance for college to about $22,000 (currently it is less than half of that.) This would be enough to pay tuition, housing, and living expenses at any public university.

Don’t we owe these vets at least that much?

Apparently the President and his military brass do not think so, worried that the bill would hurt retention efforts. Said one Pentagon official last month, “If the benefit is too large, many troops will leave the military after their first term.”

Nevertheless, last Thursday, the Senate overwhelmingly passed an Iraq war spending bill that included the new G.I. Bill. What will happen to the bill is unclear as President Bush has vowed to veto the spending bill.

Amazing.

But as I said, there is good news too. There are some significant efforts out there intended to help the veteran entrepreneur. Here are a few of the best:

Vetrepreneur Magazine / The National Veteran Owned Business Association (NAVOBA.com): NAVOBA and its magazine (which I write for) are a fantastic resource for any veteran wanting o succeed in their own small business.

The Veterans Corporation (Veteranscorp.org): A great organization that helps all vets, including service disabled veterans obtain the tools and resources they need to be successful entrepreneurs. Specifically, they help with access to capital and bonding, and entrepreneurial education.

The SBA Office of Veterans Business Development: This SBA program helps veteran small business owners in a variety of ways – counseling, advocacy, training, and so on. Importantly, the office also runs Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC) which help veterans start, run, and grow their businesses.

Center for Veterans Enterprise (vetbiz.gov): The CVE works to improve the business climate for veterans, minimize barriers, and to inform the public about the benefits of working with veteran-owned small businesses.

The one last thing we can do to help the small business owner and the veteran small business employee is to pass the new G.I. Bill.

Today’s Tip: Over the past year I have been working to put together a comprehensive free program to help veterans start their own small business. It’s not an easy thing to do, especially in this economy, and you would like to help, we would like to hear from you. Shoot me an email to info@mrallbiz.com.

Tom

A: First let me say that as a general rule, I like franchising as a business concept (and write for the Franchise Handbook.) The pros of buying a franchise are self-evident:

• There should be less risk – ideally, the business model has been vetted and there is a successful system in place that you can follow.
• There is support – a great franchisor will help you all along the way. As Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds and inventor of franchising said, “in business for yourself but not by yourself .”
• There is a plan – entrepreneurs who start from scratch have to figure everything out for themselves; franchisees do not.

That said, not all franchises are created equal. You simply must do your due diligence to make sure that you are buying into a system and franchise that has a high likelihood of success and profitability.

Here then are the 3 most important things any potential franchisees needs to check out:

1. What do current franchisees say? When you meet with the franchisor, they will indeed paint a rosy picture, and that is understandable: It is their business, they believe in it, and want you to buy into it.

You will learn plenty more by speaking with current and past franchisees. These folks will give you the lowdown:

• What is the franchisor like to work with?
• How much money can you expect to make?
• What sorts of hours can you expect to put in?
• What should you be on the lookout for?

It is current franchisees (and any former ones if you can find some) who can best impart this invaluable type of info.

2. How much will it cost and how much will you make ? When you meet with the franchisor you will receive their Uniform Franchise Offering Circular (UFOC.) This legally-mandated document will relate such important things as expected startup costs, the company’s litigation history, ongoing fees, and so on.

What it probably will not tell you is how much you can expect to make. The reason is because they don’t want to open themselves up to potential litigation if you don’t make as much. So again, this is where doing your homework is essential.

Many people get bit by the franchising bug and cannot wait to jump in, so sure are they that they will make a bundle. Beware of this false euphoria.

Yes, you may make a bundle, and plenty of people have, but remember – you are going into business so act like a businessperson. Crunch some numbers. Do your research. Rely on facts, not emotion.

3. What is in the fine print ? Things you may never think are important can turn out to be incredibly so:

• What about exclusivity ? You probably want to make sure that you are given the right to own the only franchise of this type in your area. You sure do not want another one of the same ice cream shops as yours opening up down the street!
• Who will be your supplier? Some franchisors mandate that you buy your supplies directly from them. If so, make sure the prices are reasonable.
• What sort of ongoing fees will you be required to pay? Whether it is a monthly royalty payment or regular advertising fees, you will be making ongoing monthly payments to the franchisor. How much are they?

The bottom line is that you have to find a franchise that realistically affords you the chance to make a profit and have some fun. Be savvy, make an informed decision, and you will probably be very happy.

Today’s Tip : Here is a SCORE Tip for potential franchisees:

“You will probably want to have an attorney review the UFOC, but it is crucial that you understand every statement in each of the 23 parts:

• Items 1 through 4 – describe the franchisor, his background, business ethics and possible bankruptcy history.
• Items 5 through 10 – deal with the fees, royalties, advertising fees and all financial arrangements including restrictions as to sources of products and services.
• Items 11 through 19 – detail the franchisee’s obligations and provisions in the agreement. These are very important as they define what restrictions there are on products that can be sold, transfer assignments, terminations, dispute resolutions and the like.
• Items 20 through 23 – provide a list of existing franchisees, both active and those who have left the system. They also provide financial statements of the franchisor and copies of contracts used in connection with the franchise offering, including the Franchise Agreement.”

Rick

A: If I had to choose one word to describe small business right now, it would be unease . If I had more words, they would be nervous, retrenched, and cautiously hopeful (alas, we are usually hopeful, even when there is little reason to be.)

Although my pessimistic perspective is inherently subjective, even objective measures point to the same conclusion.

• The NFIB May, 2008 Small Business Economic Trends Report shows that small business optimism to be at its lowest level since the 1979 oil embargo.
• Warrilow and Co., a savvy surveyor of the small business marketplace, found that only about 40% of small business owners were optimistic about their own sales, and far fewer were optimistic about the economy generally (27.5%)

The problem small businesses have is that, very often, we are at the mercy of much larger business and grander economic forces. There is little you can do if, for instance, a big corporation with whom you do business decides to terminate your services in effort to cut back.

Starbucks can close 600 stores and save a wad of cash when things go south, but all we can do is to try to somehow wring out a tad more savings by tightening the belt and to keep hustling for business.

No, it is not my style to sound so dire, but these are indeed tough times for small business. The good news is that there options. As my wife always tells my daughters, “There’s always a solution.”

I recently attended a small business seminar hosted by the aforementioned Warrilow & Co. wherein I listened to a variety of small business owners share their strategies for success in lean times. I came away impressed. Here are a few ideas that you might want to consider:

Look for new clients : If your regular folks are buying less, start looking for customers who can buy more. One owner said, “We leave open the option to pursue business opportunities outside the norm.”

Remember when you first started in business and you used the shotgun approach to customer acquisition, that is, you tried hitting everything, hoping to hit something? That may be needed again. Open your mind as to what is possible, try a bunch of new things, and see what sticks.

Spend money where it will do the most good : Cut back where you can, but consider increasing spending in areas that offer the greatest potential for increasing sales. That may mean more advertising, public relations, business development, buying leads, pay-per-click, or sales training.

Increase your shoestring marketing : There are many ways to get the word out without breaking the bank. All it takes is some creativity and follow-through. One owner at the conference said, “We email and send out postcards more, instead of driving around, meeting potential clients, and giving them brochures.”

Treat existing clients well : A different tact is to take extra special care of those clients who are already your customers.

Add line extensions : Creating additional, related, profit centers means that when one part of your business is down, another will probably be up. A chiropractor added a wellness line that significantly increased revenue in only three months.

Look for government contracts : Even in down times, governments generally, and the federal government specifically, still have contracts that need to be fulfilled by small business vendors. Business Matchmaking is one of many programs that help you do that. A Google search will reveal many more.

No, this is no easy time to be in business for yourself, but with a little ingenuity and some hustle, you can keep things going.

Today’s Tip : One last strategy that I thought was interesting was from one seasoned entrepreneur who looked at slow times as an opportunity to experiment. Whether it was offering a new product or trying out a new advertising campaign, he used down times to refine strategies that can be rolled out in a bigger way during the boom times.

Jenna

A : There is no doubt everyone is feeling the pinch of the economic downturn these days and woe to the business that doesn’t react in accordance with the times.

Back at the turn of the 20^th century, the automobile was a newfangled contraption. But even so, it was apparent almost immediately that it was also a revolutionary item that was here to stay. That is one reason why, if you Google the term “buggy whip manufacturer,” you end up with zilch.

Why did all of the buggy whip makers go out of business? Because they thought they were in the business of making buggy whips.

Wrong.

Sure, when the automobile supplanted the horse-drawn buggy, the need for buggy whips evaporated, but it wasn’t the car that killed the buggy whip maker, it was the buggy whip maker’s thinking that did it.

Literary essayist George Steiner once put it this way: Had a buggy whip manufacturer in 1910 rethought things and concluded that rather than being in the buggy whip business he was instead in the business of creating ‘transportation starting devices’, he just might have been able to survive the challenge of the new economy and make the transition into a new era.

You gotta go with the times my friends. Unlike our fallen buggy whip business brethren, you must avoid what is known as “marketing myopia.”

Marketing Myopia was an influential business paper written by Theodore Levitt for the Harvard Business Review. The essential idea put forth was that too many businesses think like the old buggy whip makers, with a far too narrow an analysis of what their business is.

The proposition instead was to Think Bigger, to be more expansive, to broaden one’s definition of what business they are in. A broader, more unrestrained criteria offers opportunities that otherwise might have been missed.

Here is a current example: I just read a story that the Whole Foods marketing chain is trying to lure more people into their stores by showing customers that Whole Foods is in fact an economical place to shop. I don’t know about you, but when I think of shopping in Whole Foods “economical” is not one of the adjectives that pops into my mind (and of course that is not all bad, with words like “healthy” and “organic” being more prominent.)

But what people today want, as much as they want healthy, organic, fresh food, is something that does not cost an arm and a leg. The gas pump already has that distinction. So Whole Foods is offering discounts and less expensive brands.

Of course a business like Whole Foods , that has built its business and its brand on matters other than discounts, certainly can’t re-brand themselves as a discount warehouse, nor should they. But it is equally true that neither should they suffer from marketing myopia and conclude that they are a high-end grocer, for good or ill.

Dumb thinking, that.

So all of this is a long story to make an important, succulent point: Go with the flow. If people are looking for discounts, give them some discounts. Listen to your customers. Follow the market. As I am wont to say, if you own a deli and your customers want mustard on the table, put mustard on the tables.

You are not a buggy whip maker, you are not a high-end store owner, you are an entrepreneur, a business person. Your job is to stay in business.

Today’s Tip : Remember to ask for help when trying to figure out which way to go. John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach from my alma mater UCLA puts it this way:

“When I had assistants, I always wanted them never to be afraid to make a suggestion. We don’t know a thing we don’t learn from somebody else in one way or another. If you do agree with their suggestion and use it and it works, be sure that they are the one that gets the credit, not you.”

Stan

A: Stan and I met earlier this year when I was giving a speech. When he learned that I write for USA TODAY, he really wanted to share his story and in the process help other small business owners avoid his unenviable fate.

Stan is an accountant who kept all of his records on the computer at his office. That included client tax returns, client lists, his own business records – the whole shebang. Unable to get to his office once the hurricane hit, Stan not only lost his data and computer in the disaster, but all physical files and other records too. He lost his entire business.

"Please, tell your readers to just take some basic steps that can ensure that their businesses can survive a disaster," Stan insisted.

With the official start of hurricane season about a month away, it seems to be a good time to spread the message that, while no one likes to think about what can go wrong, it behooves us all to take some basic steps to avoid the avoidable.

Of course, it is not just hurricanes that are a threat to a business – it could be any number of other natural disasters – earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, fire – as well as personal disasters – a stolen computer, a hard drive that crashes (try losing three chapters of a book you are writing!), a power outage . . . .

Luckily, I was recently offered the chance to read a White Paper produced by HP and SCORE that sheds some light on not only what a significant problem this is, but what you can do about it. This White Paper was incredibly useful and has been shared with government officials and business leaders.

Consider these sobering facts:

* About one-third of all respondents to a survey in the paper said they backup their data rarely, if at all. Most of the rest did it less than monthly, and yet
* 70% of small businesses that suffer a major data loss will go out of business within a year.

But, as pointed out in the paper, "disasters can be averted with some foresight and planning." Here is what you can do:

* Of course, the easiest and most obvious preventative measure you can take is simply to backup your data, and not just in the same location, but remotely.
* Important documents should be kept in a fireproof safe.
* Software should be utilized to prevent computer worms and viruses from destroying your hard drives.
* Create a plan to keep things running if something should happen. Assign roles and responsibilities as a part of that plan and walk through them with employees. Then keep the plan updated.

To underscore their commitment to helping small business in this regard, HP and SCORE have even taken things one step further and are now offering free "Wellness Workshops" around the country so as to better help small businesses prepare for unanticipated disasters and shutdowns.

According to Lisa Baker, Director of Business Marketing, Americas, Personal Systems Group, HP, "many small businesses are not prepared for disasters large and small. As such, through the Wellness Workshops, HP and SCORE are working together to ensure that small businesses understand the simple steps needed to safeguard a business’ survival."

During the workshops, attendees will learn how to protect their core business assets such as employee records and customer databases. There will also be a special session on providing small businesses with guidance on how to green their business.

Hurricane Katrina was a tough lesson for too many small businesses. Let Stan, HP and SCORE help you help yourself. Create that disaster preparedness plan today.

Today’s Tip: The HP/SCORE Wellness Workshops are coming to a location near you. You can find out where and when here.

Rachael

A: I would have to say, I get more variations on this question than any other: “Where the heck can I get some of this free government startup money?”

I’m not exactly sure where this urban myth comes from, this idea that there are government agencies out there just waiting to give out free money to start a business.

I suspect that the main culprit is Matthew Lesko. You know, the wacky guy on those infomercials with the question mark suit who is always talking about free government grants and programs.

Do they really exist? Are there free federal grant dollars available to fund a business startup? Let’s find out.

Lesko received his MBA from American University and his company, Information USA, has published many books on the subject of “free” government programs over the past few decades. His books generally point out programs that people may or may not know about which offer some sort of assistance – everything from Medicare and Medicaid to SBA loans, energy assistance, and farm subsidies.

But actual free money turns out to be a pretty rare thing.

Indeed, the York State Consumer Protection Board issued a report in 2004 stating that some of Lesko’s claims of free money are exaggerated (in relation to his book, Free Money to Pay Your Bills.)

This is not to say that grants are not available on the federal level. They are. Indeed, the federal budget is chock-full of programs that grant funds for such things as:

* Scientific research
* Educational endeavors
* Defense services and products, etc.

Moreover, there are plenty of programs that help minority, veteran, women, and disabled business owners, but again, none that I could find offer actual free start-up capital for individuals. Most of this assistance is technical and advisory in nature.

When the federal government does offer grant money to promote small business, it almost exclusively goes to state and local governments. According to the smart folks over at About.com, “By far, most government grants are applied for and awarded to other federal agencies, states, cities, colleges and universities, and research organizations.”

So it seems that free federal money to start a business is more myth than fact.

Next then, let’s consider programs on the state and local level. Here we find a bit more help. For instance, many communities offer incentives for small businesses to set up shop in economically distressed areas, although these incentives often take the forms of tax breaks or rent subsidies rather than grants per se. There are also plenty of incentives today to make your business greener, but again no, no free money.

What about private, non-profit grant makers? These are organizations with very specific goals in mind, who work hard at fund-raising, and who fund only the most worthy, cost-effective programs. Some may help with business capital if that is the business they are in and you meet their very specific criteria and stringent prerequisites. No one gives money away willy-nilly. Expect to be thoroughly vetted to make sure that what you are proposing is what they want you to be doing.

Expect to also spend a lot of time and effort in the process. Applying for and getting grants is a difficult, rigorous process, often requiring expert assistance. “Grant writer” is a job for a reason.

And understand this too: Grants come with strings. In the remote chance that you do find and get a business grant, you will also be expected to thoroughly account for whatever money you get and spend it exactly in accordance with the strict guidelines of the grant maker. Failure to do so will land you in plenty of legal hot water.

At a time of huge federal government deficits, an incredibly expensive war with no end in sight, and recession, you are looking for free government money? Think again.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Today’s Tip: One place to find out what state and local assistance is available to your business is the online Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance; a database of all federal programs available to state and local governments, organizations, various groups, and individuals. Once you locate a program that may be a fit, contact the office that administers the program and learn about the application process.

Brian

A: There is no doubt that selling to small business is quite different than selling to large corporations. Having sold to both in my business, I’m not sure whether it is any easier selling to one versus another; both present challenges in their own way.

First the commonalities:

Both require patience: Selling to a large business can really take a lot of time, for various reasons. Whether it is a matter of finding the right department that needs what you are selling, or the right manager, or the person who can pull the trigger, or getting the necessary buy-in from everyone required, navigating the corporate maze can sometimes be a challenge for the uninitiated.

Patience is also required when selling to the small business owner, but for different reasons. Often, the small business owner does not want to make a decision, or would rather string it out as long as possible so as to retain scare resources (i.e., money), or is simply too busy to worry about whatever it is you are selling.

Whatever the case, both only buy only when they are good and ready.

Both have limited budgets: It is often hard for the small business owner to appreciate this, given that their respective budgets are so different. But even so, the fact is that corporate managers and entrepreneurs alike both have budgetary constraints that amount to the same issue, namely, if they buy one thing that means they are not buying something else.

But really, the similarities pale in comparison to the differences.

What corporate people usually don’t get is how small business owners think and why they act and decide as they do. So let’s look at the reasons.

The biggest difference to appreciate is that when you work for a big business, you have a lot of help. Whether it is assistants or co-workers or the legal department or whatever, there are plenty of other hands around to help you accomplish what needs to get done.

That simply is not true for small businesses, the vast majority of whom are one-person shops. Small business owners are often the president, director of marketing, receptionist, and accountant, all rolled into one. As a result, they are a harried bunch with too much to think about and do. Master jugglers, they are.

It is no accident that one of the most famous pieces of advice ever given to the small business owner is to spend more time working on their business and less working in it. That is not something anyone would ever think to advise a corporate manager.

The second big difference is that most small business owners have budgetary constraints that are qualitatively different than that of the corporate manager.

* We don’t get a paycheck every two weeks.
* If we don’t continually drum up new business, the mortgage may not get paid
* If we have a bad month, our employees will probably feel the pinch too.
* As such, cash-flow is a big issue.

If you want to sell to the small business owner, then these are the two pain points you have to appreciate and overcome: A lack of time and a lack of money. Often we will avoid buying until one or the other gets too acute.

Thus, the key to selling to small business is to show small business owners how the product in question saves time, saves money, makes them money, are frees them up. Of course there are other selling points that work, but these are usually big ones.

To learn more, I suggest reading a good book, Outfoxing the Small Business Owner, by Gene Marks.

Today’s Tip: To help corporations better understand how to sell to small business, my company, The Strauss Group, developed a great experiential seminar entitled The Small Business Game. (c)

The idea is to put the salespeople in the shoes of the small business owner. By giving them the experience of being an entrepreneur and seeing how we make decisions, the salespeople can better understand their small business clients. This in turn helps create that most important of all things necessary for the sale – rapport. To learn more, you can shoot me an email.

Dave

A: I agree that owning a business is not for everyone. Here is my handy dandy quick quiz that will help anyone decide whether or not they are an entrepreneur:

Does the thought of leaving your current job make you more scared or excited?

If the idea of leaving your nice corporate gig, with its attendant benefits and perks, not to mention that nice, regular paycheck, makes you more nervous than excited, then starting a small business is probably not for you.

However, if giving up all of that makes you happy because that means that you will finally be going off on your own, then you sir (or ma’am!) are probably an entrepreneur.

Of course the idea of starting your own business and being your own boss sounds great in theory. Who wouldn’t want to chuck the rat race and start over again doing something they love? Yes indeedy, starting your own business is part of the American Dream; there is undoubtedly a certain romantic notion to the whole thing.

But, like anyone who has been married a long time knows, that first blush of passionate romance fades and transforms, if you are fortunate, into something deeper and more meaningful; it’s a different type of love.

And so it is with your business. If you start your own gig, you will be married to it. And, just like with any marriage, some are great and last a long time because they are a good fit. Others flameout rather quickly, either because they were not a good fit or that initial infatuation was just that and nothing more.

So you have to be careful when you fall in love with the idea of becoming your own boss because that initial blast of love is more puppy than pure. It is when you don’t get that paycheck after the first two weeks, or four weeks, or ever, that the cold, hard reality begins to creep in.

"Is this really for me?" Asking that after you start is the wrong time. Not a few new small business owners end up with buyer’s remorse and, like Fagin in the play Oliver!, say "I think I better think it out again, hey!"

So before you ever get to that spot and marry a business that you don’t really love, consider these steps first:

1. Try it out part-time: I have a pal who loves the idea of going into business for himself but would have to give up a very lucrative career to do so. And with a family to support, he does not have the luxury of making a mistake. So what did he do?

He bought into a business as an investor. Though he is not responsible for the day to day operation of the place, he still gets to scratch his entrepreneurial itch.

2. Freelance: If yours is a profession in which you could sell your services part-time when you are not at work, try it. See what sort of market there is for what you offer and whether you like doing it on your own. You could always ramp it up more later.

3. Consider a franchise: Obviously a more expensive option, buying a franchise is a way to get into business and still have support. A great franchise system will teach you well, keep teaching you, and offer plenty of other support. But, before buying any franchise, check with current franchisees to see what the system really is like and that you really will be supported.

Bottom line: Don’t be fooled by the initial intense feelings that dreaming about being an entrepreneur might evoke. They are not real. It’s infatuation. Before marring a business, make sure you really are compatible and will love each other for a long time.

Today’s tip: At my site, MrAllBiz.com, we ran a poll asking people whether they thought entrepreneurs were born or made. The vast majority said they thought entrepreneurs were made and not born.

John

A: I don’t know of any entrepreneur who has not suffered adversity along the way, and usually some significant adversity at that. Whether it is losing a huge client, a bankruptcy, lawsuits, or what have you, business and problems often go together.

The real measure of an entrepreneur is how you handle that adversity.

Of course it will be challenging and no, there are no guarantees that the second time will be better, or even the third time – Henry Ford had two auto companies that went out of business before starting the Ford Motor Company at age 40.

This lesson was brought home to me recently when I spoke with the most unlikely of entrepreneurs, but one of the best I have ever met – Tony Little.

You probably know Tony from his ubiquitous infomercials where he sells personal training videos and equipment in his trademark infectious, enthusiastic style. With more that 40 million customers, it is said that he has logged more time on American television than any other celebrity. These days, he is on TV the world over (81 countries at last count) and he has generated more than $3 billion in sales globally.

But what you don’t know about Tony is the adversity he suffered, and the tenacity he has shown, on his way to becoming an incredible businessman:

In 1983, Tony was a Junior National Bodybuilding Champion, training for The Mr. America Bodybuilding Championship when he was blind-sided by a school bus and almost killed. He suffered numerous lacerations over his body, two herniated discs, a cracked vertebra, and a dislocated knee.

His bodybuilding dreams were over.

"I went into a three year depression," he told me. But clearly this is a man driven to succeed. After seeing a Jane Fonda exercise video, Tony found the will to move forward. He decided that he wanted to create a personal training exercise television show.

The only problem? He had never done anything like that before.

Even worse: The cable company told him that he needed $15,000 to produce the show. So Tony created a business cleaning health spas. He raised the money in short order.

Could he have said, "I don’t have $15,000?" Sure, easy. Could he have thought, "I have no business being on TV, I’ve never done television." Yes, he could have, but he didn’t.

If you want to keep going in your business after a setback, do you know what you have to do? Keep going. Just keep going.

In 1987, Tony’s tenacity really paid off when he met the president and founder of Home Shopping Network (HSN.) They struck a deal – if Tony could sell 400 of his videos within four shows, they would work together on more projects. Tony sold all 400 videos . . . in four minutes! He has gone on to sell millions of products and make millions of dollars through his HSN and QVC appearances as well as his infomercials.

But his story does not end there. In 1996, Tony was involved in another life threatening car accident which damaged his face (more than 180 stitches) and damaging two more disks in his back. But no, that didn’t stop him either. Today, he is more successful than ever.

When I asked Tony what his keys to business success are, not surprisingly he said, "enthusiasm sells!" If you have ever stopped to watch one his shows, you know that is true.

Equally importantly he said, "There is always a way to the next level." Tony’s life and career are a testament top that.

In this gig I get to meet an interview some very interesting entrepreneurs, and on a personal note I have to say that Tony Little was among the kindest, most modest, generous, and genuine people I have had the pleasure to interview.

Tony proves that though adversity happens, there is always a way to the next level.

Today’s Tip: Drive down the street and look at all the small businesses you pass. What color are the buildings? Almost all are white or beige. Today I passed a business I have driven by thousands of times but just really noticed for the first time. Why? It is now painted bright blue and yellow, sort of like a sports team’s colors. The business completely stood out. There’s a lesson there.

Shelly

A: No, blogging is not going away anytime soon.

And I can’t say I’m not surprised, because I am. When blogging first made its way into our consciousness a few years ago, I was as skeptical as they come. Was I really heard to remark, "It’s the CB radio of our time!" Yes, I was.

But, halleluiah! I see the light! I’ve become a convert. How much so? Yes, I have just launched my own blog, Business as UNusual.

What I get now about blogging is that it is a way to communicate with the world in ways that were unheard of only a few years ago. It is a chance to loosen the ‘ol tie and create a more personal, interactive, human communication with your customers, vendors, employees, and other people.

Prior to blogging, there were really very few ways to create that personal bond, especially with customers, both actual and potential. If you did not meet them one-on-one or speak with them on the phone, the only way they heard about you, typically, would be through your advertising and marketing.

But those are inherently impersonal vehicles.

The Internet generally, and a blog specifically, gives you an opportunity to show who you and your business are in a much more up close and personal way. This, in turn, allows you to you to create more of a bond, and thus more of a relationship, and that should create more loyalty.

So, to answer your question, there really are numerous benefits to creating a blog for your business:

* Blogs build a sense of community: By sharing your expertise in a blog, you connect with a lot more people. And as they respond to your posts, a community is created.
* They allow you to plug products and services: But importantly, you are not doing so in an abrasive way. Using the conversational style that is the hallmark of a good blog allows you to share business products in a friendly way.
* They boost your search engine optimization (SEO): By their very nature, blogs incorporate the hallmarks of good SEO: Keywords and links. And, as people respond to your blog, more keywords show up.
* Blogs help make you an authority: I can tell you that being published, even if it’s only your own blog, gives you gravitas.
* Blogs give you valuable feedback: By seeing what customers say about your posts, your blog offers valuable feedback.

So the benefits are numerous. If you want to make the most of your blog, here are a few tips:

Be frank: People read blogs to get an insight they would not normally have. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s blog does this well.

Be conversational: People like reading blogs to get a less formal view of the writer or business. The folks over at Duct Tape Marketing are good at this.

Be insightful: Try and give the people some information they would not otherwise have. Anita Campbell at Small Business Trends is good at this.

So, blog or get blogged down. The choice is yours!

Today’s Tip: What is the very first form of human community? Why, the tribe of course. That’s why the book Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization is such a great business book.

As the authors explain, tribes are natural occurrences, even in business. The trick then is to create or identify your most valuable tribe members (employees, customers, professionals, etc.) and work with them to build your business. What you can do together is greater than what you can do alone. Steve says check it out!