Category Archives: Articles

Planning for What You Don’t Expect

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Planning is difficult for any business. It takes time and intention – and knowing the results you want and how you’re going to get them. How often has one of your plans fallen by the wayside for unforeseen circumstances and pivoting meant starting over from scratch? If you’re like most business owners, that scenario is probably more true than not. So what can you do to reduce your vulnerability? How can you plan for the things you don’t expect?

The answer….you don’t, and yet, you do. Continue reading →

How to Use Birdseed to Get Clients & Customers

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I think it was a scene in a movie, but something made me think about how that scene related to getting clients and customers.  Picture in your mind you are watching people in a park feeding the birds.

Children are chasing after the birds trying to catch them.  Almost every child eventually starts to chase the birds. It was quite amusing because the birds always scattered away! Camera pans and now we’re watching the adults interacting with the birds and noticed something fascinating… Continue reading →

Introvert Entrepreneurs’ Marketing

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We all know that marketing and promotion is an essential part of business – but what if it takes you well beyond your comfort zone and seems to conflict with the essence of who you are?  I found this article by Amanda Jesnoewski has some good pointers.

This is for the shy, humble and introverted entrepreneurs among us – the ones who would rather stay in their office than get out and network, and the ones who feel inauthentic and at times even arrogant when singing their praises. Continue reading →

6 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Do Daily

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Success in entrepreneurship is not an end destination. It’s to be the best version of yourself every day as you work with and communicate with those around you and provide services and products to your customers. We are a constant work in progress that requires some daily effort. The “laptop in the coffee shop” version of entrepreneurship may only exist for a very few. Continue reading →

Mark Your Calendars!

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Roane State Community College’s Cumberland Business Incubator (CBI) will be hosting an Open House on April 13th from 1:00-3:00pm Central Time. The community is invited to the Open House to network, meet CBI entrepreneurs and business representatives, mentors and volunteers, tour the Maker Space and see samples of the projects completed in the Maker Space. Continue reading →

Direct Selling Update

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The following is a summary of an article that appeared in the March 2016 issue of Direct Selling News:

What is the promise of the opportunity offered by any direct selling company? Direct Selling News (DSN) Ambassador John Fleming: “Direct selling companies offer an opportunity to people from all walks of life, regardless of background, education or skill level, the chance to own and operate their own business backed by material support from a larger brand and supported by a pathway of training.” Continue reading →

Retirement Options

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As the April 15 personal tax deadline looms, you’re likely overwhelmed with short-term concerns about your business budget and your personal finances. You should also be considering two crucial longer-term questions: What are you saving for retirement, and where are you saving it? Continue reading →

Marketing Consistency

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Many of the CBI clients ask for help with their marketing message. Some of the things we cover during business coaching sessions are summarized below:

A successful marketing plan is built on consistent messages. When you’re building your business it’s tempting to want to try to be all things to all people. Your marketing messages can end up being all over the map. The result: It confuses your customers, and can get confusing for you as well. Continue reading →

If It Were You…

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IF IT WERE YOU THAT WAS REPLACED IN YOUR COMPANY, WHAT WOULD THE NEW CEO CHANGE? 

We’ve all seen it. A new leader comes into an organization and starts making changes. Very few leaders are brought in to keep things running the way they have been. They’re brought in because something must change. Continue reading →

A Cash Mob?

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What are Cash Mobs?

Cash Mobs are flash mobs, but instead of singing and dancing, people spend money as a group!  They target the small, local businesses that make each community special in order to give the business owners an economic stimulus.  They help businesses grow, they make people happy, buyers find something to buy, people have a great time and get together to celebrate afterward! Continue reading →