In a recent conference call by the Orton Family Foundation, one of the listeners asked a great practical question: What are 3 actions most effective at starting a local company? —Jay B., KS My answer was: Try 3 small scale tests. That’s how you’ll build knowledge of what works, build an initial following […]
Magnetic Strips to EMVs: Has Your Small Business Made the Shift?
Guest post by H. E. James, MBA Has your small business ever been dinged because of credit card fraud? The smaller the business, the harder it is to shoulder the chargeback costs when a fraudulent transaction occurs. Before October 2015, most of those charges were borne by credit card companies themselves rather than merchants […]
When the planes are coming in to land
This appeared in my newsletter for ministry leaders, “The Guy Down The Hall“. But Becky pointed out that the planes circle for small businesses, too, and I decided to share it here. I grew up near O’Hare Airport. We could always see planes lined up across the sky, waiting to land. At busy times, we could […]
Small town business secrets for coping with limited suppliers
One of the limits we deal with as small town businesses is our suppliers. Rural retail businesses depend on wholesale suppliers for inventory, manufacturers need raw materials and restaurants need food to cook. Then we all have basics, like cash register tape, circuit breakers, and those 8′ long light bulbs you can’t seem to […]
