Blog

The difference between a mentor and a sponsor
By - Sandi Webster

The Difference Between A Mentor and a Sponsor

  A common misconception small business owners have is the difference between having a sponsor and a mentor.  There will be the make-or-break business decision that calls for the guidance of a mentor and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that calls for a sponsor to recommend you.   As a small business owner, you need more than a mentor;   you also need a

By - Sandi Webster

Small Business Owners Need Mentors

As a small business owner, there are moments when coming to a decision can ultimately make or break your business, and you need to consult others to get guidance.  A mentor can be an invaluable resource.  A great mentor is a guide to help navigate the world of business or life in general. The destination may be happiness, success, or

By - Sandi Webster

Hiring Top Sales People

Your sales team is at the heart of your small business. A great sales team can increase revenues, keep current clients satisfied, and bring in new customers, but your business can stagnate and suffer without the right salespeople. When looking to hire the best sales team for your business, there isn’t much room to improvise on the recruiting process. Hiring

By - Sandi Webster

Nurturing Current Client Relationships

When running a small business, one thing is certain – nurturing your current client relationships is essential to the longevity of your company. While expanding your market by bringing in new clients is also necessary, it is most certainly futile if you don’t retain the clients you’ve won. Per outboundengine.com,   Acquiring a new customer can cost five timesmore than retaining

By - Sandi Webster

The Do’s and Don’ts for an Effective Social Media Strategy

So, you’ve done your mid-year business review and have taken the steps to completely overhaul your strategic business plan and make changes for the rest of the year, but what about your social media marketing strategy? If you have yet to implement social media into your strategy and you’re determined to use it as a weapon in your marketing arsenal,

By - Sandi Webster

Marketing Can and Should Get You Sales

  Successfully promoting your goods or services can result in impressive revenue growth for your business. Whether your business is in the start-up phase or not, marketing can, and should, get you sales! Begin by creating a marketing strategy that will outline how you’ll go about marketing your products or services.   Here are a few tips to include in

By - Sandi Webster

How to Avoid Major Tech Bloopers

While running a successful small business, it’s easy to overlook effective technology practices, but a few tech blunders can cause huge consequences for your business.  Here are a few major tech bloopers to avoid: Forgoing Proper Technical Support Erik Eckel of Tech Republic warns against forgoing sufficient technical support for your organization.  Eckel writes, “Small businesses need knowledgeable, trusted technology

By - Sandi Webster

Achieve Marketing Success With Your Website

Originally posted: 12/30/12 Updated on: 3/20/21 A robust website is the core of your digital presence and can also make or break your small business.  Consider these strategic tips and goals when looking to achieve marketing success with your website this year: Developing a Clear Strategy and Goals Start by asking yourself several questions: Who are your customers? What do

Score mentoring hours
By - Sandi Webster

SCORE Retired Executives Make Great Mentors

This reprinted blog was updated in April 2021. SCORE is a nonprofit association of both active and retired executives dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. Small business owners can browse mentors’ profiles by skills or industry experience or choose to meet a local mentor face to face. When we

Dream Team
By - Sandi Webster

Forming an Advisory Board: Finding the Dream Team Experts to Sit at Your Table

Why did I form an advisory board for my company? It’s not a complicated reason – I wanted help from a particular group of experts, my dream team, and couldn’t afford to pay them!      My business partner and I had some of the same skills and other skills were complimentary. We knew we were not experts in certain