Retail sales is the lifeline of small specialty retail stores. These business owners sell goods like art supplies, paper goods, collectors’ items, specialty clothing, religious merchandise and other specialized goods. More than 135,800 small special retail stores employ more than 231,400 workers. Their sales are in excess of $42 billion. Even with all this success, they ...
Category Running a Business
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Hire the Best — 8 Tips to Help You Get a Good Team
Hire the best person – that’s a tall order, but a key one for a small business owner’s success. A poor hiring decision will impact your bottom line. You will waste time and money upfront, and later you’ll spend time fixing trouble. And, let’s face it, employee problems are painful to solve. A bad hire affects ...
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How to Use Networking Groups to Get More Business
Networking at local groups is a marketing strategy that is often overlooked by entrepreneurs. I don't mean passing out your business card. Instead, attending these events with the goal of building relationships with business professionals. Individuals who are ready to help you build your firm. Kevin Jordan, a small business marketing consultant, explains how we can leverage business networking in ...
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8 Strategies to Establish a Culture of Good Customer Service
If you are a business owner, you recognize that good customer service can be your bread and butter. By providing quality customer care, you can make higher profits and encourage company loyalty. Employee Training is Important Training your employees about excellent customer service is critical. There will be occasions when you can’t personally deal with your clients or patrons ...
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Planning Summer Vacation Tips for Business Owners
Although spring has just started, business owners should start planning a summer vacation. Plans should balance the need for a summer break and business activities. Employee Vacations A helpful place to start is to examine your vacation policy. Do you have one? Is it written? Are your employees aware of it? Spend time examining and updating it. ...
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Postage Cost Going Down
Who said that the cost of doing business isn't going down? On April 10, 2016, the US Postal service reduced the cost of postage. The new lower rates will impact the price of stamps, postcards, and first-class mail. U.S. Postal Service Announced Postage Rate Reduction On April 10, 2016, the U.S. Postal Service will reduce postage rates for regular mail — for the first time in 97 years. Small businesses have become conditioned to hearing about postage rates going up. But, in a move called ...