201 Great Ideas For Your Small Business, Third Edition

Completely revised and updated edition of this very popular and successful small business book

The first edition of 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business was hailed by management guru and author Tom Peters as "Brilliantly researched. Brilliantly written. A gem of priceless value on almost every page. Read. Inhale. Absorb. Great Stuff!"

In this completely updated third edition of 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business, renowned small-business expert and consultant Jane Applegate shares new, powerful, creative, simple, and proven approaches for building a better small business.

• Details how business owners can use online marketing and social networking more effectively
• Offers timely strategies for thriving in challenging economic times
• Includes scores of real-life success stories and all-new interviews with small-business owners, experts, and VIP's including Guy Kawasaki, Kay Koplovitz, and Michael Bloomberg

It may be small, but your business is a big deal to you, your customers, and employees. 201 Great Ideas provides lively, practical strategies to help you manage, grow, and promote your business.

JANE APPLEGATE is one of the nation's most respected business journalists and an award-winning writer and producer. A successful small business owner in her own right, she is the CEO of The Applegate Group, a multimedia communications and production company that produces original small business content for clients, independent films, documentaries, promotional videos, and events.

Introduction.

Chapter 1: Management Strategies.

1. Always Deal with Decision Makers.

2. Never Work with Anyone Who Gives You a Headache or a Stomachache.

3. Don't Be Afraid to Reinvent Your Business.

4. Add Spirituality to Your Business Life.

5. Ask for a Quick "Yes" or "No".

6. Say Goodbye to Corporate Life.

7. Create an Informal Advisory Board.

8. Move Your Business into an Incubator.

9. Organize a Company Retreat.

10. Create a Greener and Safer Workplace.

11. Think Ergonomically.

12. Make Meetings More Productive.

13. Meet Clients in Elegant Public Places.

14. Work the Phones or Walk the Floor.

15. Join or Create a Peer Support Group.

16. Know When to Reach Out for Help.

17. Hire a Great Lawyer.

18. Seek Help from a Restaurant Consultant.

19. Thank Everyone You Work With.

20. Move Your Business into a Main Street Revitalization Zone.

21. Ask Your Staff to Evaluate You.

22. Cross-Train Your Employees.

23. Create a Disaster Recovery Plan.

Chapter 2: Money Matters.

24. Become a Profi t Enhancement Officer.

25. Write a Killer Business Plan.

26. More Insider Tips to Woo Investors.

27. Find Yourself an Angel.

28. Hire a Virtual Chief Financial Officer.

29. Choose the Right Bank.

30. Create a Sensitivity Analysis.

31. Find a Good Accountant.

32. Work with an Enrolled Agent to Do Your Taxes.

33. Find a Strategic Partner to Invest in Your Company.

34. Even Out Your Cash Flow.

35. Consider Buying a Franchise.

36. Franchise Your Business Concept.

37. Barter for Goods and Services.

38. Seek Vendor Financing.

39. EB-5 Visas for Foreign Investors.

40. Invest in Yourself by Tapping Your 401(k).

41. Apply for a Government-Backed Bank Loan.

42. Invoice Bimonthly and Add an Overhead Charge.

43. Ask for a Deposit.

44. Lock Your Supply Cabinet.

45. Set Up a Retirement Plan.

46. Establish an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).

47. Find a Good Independent Insurance Broker.

48. Buy Disability Insurance.

49. Hire a Debt Arbitrator.

50. Collect the Money People Owe You.

51. Accept Credit Cards.

52. Work Part Time to Support Your Business.

53. Expand Your Vendor Network.

54. Check Out Economic Development Incentives.

55. Produce an Independent Film.

56. Buy Prepaid Legal Insurance or Make a Deal with a Law Firm.

57. Find the Right Offi ce Space.

58. Hire a Savvy Real Estate Broker.

59. Share Space with a Compatible Business.

60. Buy Used Offi ce Furnishings.

61. Sell Your Business at the Right Time and Price.

62. Sell Your Company to an Industry Giant.

Chapter 3: Technology and Telecommunications.

63. Twitter for Business: Tips from Guy Kawasaki.

64. Facebook Tips for Business Owners.

65. Use Skype for Business.

66. Set Up a Teleconference.

67. Make the Most of Voice Mail.

68. Don’t Let E-Mail Rule or Ruin Your Life.

69. Take This Technology Checkup.

70. Smart Technology and Telecommunication Toys to Buy for Your Business.

71. Post Videos and Photos on Your Web Site.

72. Consider a Cloud-Based Telephone Service.

73. Create a Dynamic Web Site.

74. The Truth about Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

75. Hire a Great Web Designer.

76. Run Your Business in the Cloud.

77. Use Online Mailing Solutions.

78. Train Employees Online.

79. Sell Products Online.

80. Visit My Favorite Web Sites.

Chapter 4: Develop and Launch New Products and Services.

81. Create a Fad.

82. Import Something New and Diff erent.

83. Turn Your Hobby into a Successful Business.

84. Become an Exclusive Importer.

85. Launch a Green Product.

86. Build a Working Model of Your Product.

87. Make a Model with 3-D Software.

88. Serve the High and Low Ends of the Market.

89. Partner with a Big Company for Distribution.

90. Take Advantage of an Online Technology Exchange.

91. Have Your Product Mandated for Use by the Government.

92. Create a Business Based on a Personal Challenge.

93. Sell Your Wares in a Farmer's Market.

94. Set Up a Cart in a Shopping Mall.

Chapter 5: Marketing Strategies.

95. Strike a Deal with a Giant.

96. Look Bigger Online.

97. Take Advantage of Co-op Advertising.

98. Market to Callers on Hold.

99. Consider Multilevel Marketing: Send Out Cards.

100. Cross-Promote Your Products or Services.

101. Sell through a Dealer Network.

102. Create a Cool Business Card.

103. Create a Dynamic Database.

104. Package Your Products for Success.

105. Give to Charity.

106. Use Coupons to Attract Customers.

107. Use Food as a Selling Tool.

108. Set Up a Strong Referral Network.

109. Give It Away.

110. Design a Great Sign for Your Business.

111. Produce an Infomercial.

112. Put a Pig in Your Window.

113. Put Your Company Name on Everything.

114. Free Up Your Sales Team to Sell.

115. Hire a Celebrity Spokesperson.

116. Publish a Newsletter or Blog.

117. Market Your Consulting Services.

118. Host an Open House.

119. Use Great Public Relations to Promote Your Business.

120. Coproduce a Seminar.

121. Ask for Two Business Cards.

122. Treat Your Best Clients Well.

123. Invite Associates to a Trade Show.

124. Know Your Competition.

125. Tap the Growing Hispanic Market.

126. Make Your 800 Number Ring.

127. Attend Charity Events to Make Contacts.

128. Publicize Your Specialty Food Business.

129. Market to Uncle Sam and Other Agencies.

130. Get Certifi ed as a Woman- or Minority-Owned Business.

131. Don't Forsake the Yellow Pages.

132. Send Pizza to Potential Clients.

133. Think BIG—Why Not?

Chapter 6: People.

134. Cast a Wide Net to Attract Good Employees.

135. Write Clear Job Descriptions.

136. Know What Not to Ask Job Applicants.

137. Recruit Great Employees.

138. Look Far and Wide for the Best Person.

139. Work with People You Like.

140. Hire Talented Seniors.

141. Hire Teenagers.

142. Use the BATH System for Hiring.

143. Perform a Personnel Checkup.

144. Hire a Welfare Recipient.

145. Hire Ex-Cons.

146. Telecommuting as an Option.

147. Tailor Benefi ts to Employees' Needs.

148. Off er Classes in English as a Second Language.

149. Find Out How Disney Does It.

150. Ask Your Best Clients to Meet Key Job Candidates.

151. Hire an Experienced Labor Attorney.

152. Hire an Interim Executive.

153. Train Your Employees.

154. Off er Employees the Right Incentives.

155. How to Deal with Domestic Violence.

156. Be Serious about Your Sexual Harassment Policy.

157. Rely on Temps and Freelancers.

158. Work with a Virtual Talent Agency.

159. Send Gifts to an Employee's Spouse.

Chapter 7: Time and Personal Management Ideas.

160. Get Organized—Right Now.

161. Appoint a Personal Information Officer.

162. Plan "In" Days and "Out" Days.

163. Beat Your Deadlines.

164. Spend an Hour a Day Thinking.

165. Five Quick Time Management Tips.

166. Work Hard and Play Harder.

167. Tell the Truth.

168. Overcome a Fear of Public Speaking—Join Toastmasters.

169. Find a Mentor and Be a Mentor.

170. Do Something to Reduce Stress.

171. Put on a Happy Face.

Chapter 8: Customer Service.

172. Customer Service the Zappos Way.

173. Quick Customer Service Quiz.

174. Hire a Mystery Shopper.

175. Listen to the Telephone Doctor.

176. Don’t Make Your Customers Angry.

177. Make House Calls or Have a Trunk Sale.

178. Make Apparel to Order.

179. Demand Great Service from Vendors.

180. Get to Know Your Customers Personally.

181. Wrap It Up.

182. Customer Service at Its Best.

Chapter 9: Going Global.

183. Return to Your Homeland to Export Products.

184. Move Your Manufacturing to Mexico.

185. Forge an International Alliance.

186. Do Business in India.

187. Explore Opportunities in Russia.

188. Do Business in China.

189. Meet U.S. Safety Rules for Products Made Abroad.

190. Learn about a Culture before Going Abroad.

191. Translate Your Marketing Materials.

192. Abide by the Etiquette of International Trade.

Chapter 10: Great Ideas and Insights from VIPs.

193. Herb Kelleher—Be a Maverick.

194. Lynn Tilton—Be a Modern Industrialist.

195. Mike Bloomberg—Keep It Simple.

196. Tom Peters—Forget Credentials.

197. Kay Koplovitz—Leverage a New Technology.

198. Wally Amos—Reinvent Yourself.

199. Lillian Vernon—Advice from the Mail-Order Queen.

200. Charles Shackleton—Follow Your Passion.

201. Set Your Ego Aside and Ask for Help.

Conclusion.

Resources.

About the Author.

Index.