Something to be Thankful About: Business in Thanksgiving

This week marks the celebration of a tradition that started way back in the 1600s, when the very first of the settlers came to bring forth the emergence of a new world. It is because of these great pilgrims that we now have the America of today, and Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge and be thankful of them, among other things. Having said that, this occasion also opens a lot of opportunities for small businesses, so let us look back and see how we could turn this celebration into something a small business can really be thankful of.

Let’s start it out with a blast from the past. Take a leaf out of the pilgrims books and see how they accomplished what they did.

This piece of advice comes straight out of Forbes.com in their article titled “Thanksgiving Tips: 9 Great Business Skills Entrepreneurs Can Learn from the Pilgrims”. It is a novel idea painting the pilgrims as entrepreneurs, but it all makes perfect sense in a way. From the tips listed in the article, here are some of the things entrepreneurs should have in order to go that extra mile to succeed.

 Image from http://oldemain.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/beer-for-my-pilgrims/

·         Goals. The early settlers would never have gotten anything done without someone sitting down and working out the different objectives as well as their strategies in accomplishing these goals. In parallel, a business that doesn’t have clearly defined goals is like a headless chicken flopping about trying to go somewhere. There’s certainly some movement going on, but it will be dead sooner or later anyways. A successful business has direction.

·         Risks. No guts, no glory. No pain, no Gain. No risks, no success. That last one I made up on my own, but it really fits with both how the pilgrims eventually built entire settlements and cities from the ground as well as how entrepreneurs turn small start-ups into smashing businesses. If the smallest risks and the worst odds can deter you from pushing through with something you can succeed in, then there would never be any improvement, and neither will there have been America.  

·         Determination and hard work. This one’s a given and shouldn’t even need to have an explanation. Still, it’s important to stress this one over and over again anyways. I was never a fan of the quote “Good things come to those who wait,” at least not when it comes to business. I say “Good things come to those who work hard for it.”

·         Gratitude. The pilgrims, or what few of them survived the harsh environments back in the days, definitely had a lot of things to be thankful about. That’s most likely why they started celebrating Thanksgiving in the first place. You, as a business owner, have a lot of things to be thankful for too, and one of the most important would definitely be your customers. Be grateful for your customers and make sure that they know that you are thankful for them, and they will forever be loyal to you.

Back to the present, here are a few tips to make the most out of the Thanksgiving buzz:

·         Do something special for the occasion. Starting off with a more general tip, what this means is basically to come up with something unique in order to celebrate the holiday. Thanksgiving is as special as you make it to be, and if you can give customers that giddy “Yay, it’s a holiday!” feeling, you are doing things right. Give a huge sale or host a Thanksgiving contest, for example, and don’t forget to advertise through social media as well as through print ads from trusted printers like PrintPlace.

Image from http://tentblogger.com/upup/2008/11/

·         Turkey it up! Who doesn’t love food? Even if your business is far from being remotely related to food, a good ol’ turkey should drum up some customers for you. An example of this is giving special promos like “Free Turkeys for the first 10 customers” or something along those lines. Be bold, be creative!

·         Give people something to be thankful for. As a business owner, you have a lot of things to be thankful for, and for sure you have more things on your list than the poor and the unfortunate. Use Thanksgiving to give back and to give the less fortunate something to be thankful for, and forget about all the bad issues like corporate greed and the like. A good deed is its own reward. (Though it doesn’t hurt to get more business from customers who appreciate your good deed.) 

·         Build a microsite. It’s simple, it’s fun, and you can even use it year after year. While you should indeed make some tweaks to your website in order to celebrate the occasion, building a microsite especially for Thanksgiving works even better. At the very least, it makes it easier for people to find your holiday promos and services, and if it works well this year it would definitely work better the year after!

There is no reason to frown when this year’s Thanksgiving rolls along, especially if you have done research and made the right strategies for the occasion. If things work out, not only will you be thankful for having a business, but you will be thankful for having a successful business with loyal customers and a bright future.

Turning Your Start-up into a Booming Success

In recent years, the world has seen an uprising of ambitious entrepreneurs who decide to venture into the world of business. The shops and businesses these entrepreneurs establish are appropriately called “start-ups”, and there is a surprisingly good number of these start-ups which meet a measure of success just in their first years. In 2011, for example, 64% percent of start-ups met or exceeded their targets, with 72% projecting even better business conditions for 2012. And if these numbers are urging you to build your own start-up, a few tips are in order so that you don’t get swallowed up by the competition.

Full Infographic at http://www.svb.com/startup-outlook-2012-infographic/

Know the signs of a successful start-up.

If you’re going to be one, you first have to understand what being “successful” really means, and that means familiarizing yourself with all of the signs that ensure a successful business. To name a few, a good start-up must have honesty and transparency, efficient communication, good customer service, and appropriate back-up plans. These are of course just parts of the smaller picture which come together to form a structured and effective business.

 Another important point regarding this is not only understanding what makes your start-up good or bad, but more specifically what your customers think about what makes you good or bad. Getting consistent and accurate feedback is a must so that you can make necessary changes quickly and effectively.

http://orthodoxdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/social_media_galore.rev2_.png

Get active in blogging and social media.

The internet is here and here to stay. And if you want to keep up with the stiff competition in the market, you are going to have to get with the times and be competitive with your social media marketing as well. Start a blog and set up your accounts, and get it done now. Navigating these sites are easy enough to learn and understand, but it’s all the different subtleties that would take a while to master.

The trick to getting start-ups up and running is to get recognized and extend your influence quickly. There is no faster and more convenient way to do this than using the power of the internet, but it is always important not to underestimate the repercussions of any actions done online. Nevertheless, there is no point being too intimidated that you don’t get anything done anyways.  

Use your connections wisely.

Ray Ozzie shares this piece of advice: Don’t underestimate the power of your connections. Very simple and yet profound at the same time. Pride might tempt you to try to handle everything yourself, but sometimes what you really need in order to get that break is to phone just the right person for the job. You don’t even need to directly have “friends in high places” either; it’s called a “network” for a reason after all.

That being said, having connections is not the same as knowing how to use them. The trick is knowing who to call, when to call, and to why to call (that is, call only for the right reasons). It’s a big waste having contacts that can help you but having no idea how to take things to your advantage. 

Start-up or small business.

This final piece of advice is to know exactly what the difference between a start-up and a small business is. It all boils down to your goals and where you want to be given a certain amount of time. If you know what makes one different from the other, then you wouldn’t have much problem positioning yourself and acting towards the fulfilment of your goals.

There’s no reason to wait, whether you are building one thing or the other. The most important thing is to act and to act quickly. As long as you have armed yourself with the necessary knowledge and preparation, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether you will succeed or not.