Focus on the Benefits

focus

You’ve heard it before I’m sure: focus on the benefits to your clients, not the features.  When you are writing copy, talking about what you do, or in a sales presentation, it’s the benefits and results of the service or product you provide that people are interested in, rather than its features or how it works.  A lot of people struggle to get this right. Continue reading

5 Tips for Tackling Big Projects Productively

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Do you want to be highly productive when approaching a big project? Here are five insights from a Harvard expert to help you start and finish with ease.

For most people, the best part of taking on a big project is the end. It feels great to look back and see all you accomplished. But the beginning has a different emotional impact, and many feel overwhelmed or intimidated. They don’t know where to start. Others procrastinate until deadlines become imminent. Continue reading

Is it Time?

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Tyson Hartnett wrote the following blog.  He is a 20-something CEO who started his own business, Basketball Training Club, in May of 2013.  He did a great job on his blog and I wanted to share his words with you.

That Moment When You NEED To Start Your Own Business

“Dude, the margarita mix is only half full!”

“What?”

“You didn’t fill the margarita mix!  What the ^&*% have you been doing all day??” Continue reading

Don’t Miss These…

STEM

Labville is a STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – group for all ages.  The goal is to highlight a topic each month and introduce it to the public at a level we can all understand.  August will be 3D Scanning that can lead directly to 3D printing or other means to create the model outside of the computer.  Continue reading

4 Phases of Bootstrapping Your Business

bootstrap

Have you ever put on a pair of cowboy boots or other boots with the little tabs to help pull them on?  Using those is bootstrapping.  From Wikipedia:

Tall boots may have a tab, loop or handle at the top known as a bootstrap, allowing one to use fingers or a boot hook tool to provide greater force in pulling the boots on. The saying “to pull oneself up by one’s bootstraps” was already in use during the 19th century as an example of an impossible task.

Today “Bootstrapping” is the art of building and operating a business without outside funding.  Just you, standing on your own two feet, using your own personal money to fund your business. Continue reading

What’s Your Tagline?

taglines

I facilitated an Elevator Speech workshop for our clients last week.  People did great work in the session and left with a new elevator pitch or polished up their old one.  What’s next?  Developing a good Tagline.  What is it?  A single phrase or sentence that describes your primary benefit.  Notice I didn’t say your primary product or offering – but your primary benefit. Continue reading

Just What is it We Do?

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It’s fair to say that at the Cumberland Business Incubator we do “something different every day.”  As examples, a few things that have occurred recently: Continue reading

5 Reasons You Should Hire Someone to do the Accounting

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Lots of small business owners start out thinking they will do everything they possibly can in their business to keep costs low, including doing their own accounting.  Some have learned the hard way that small errors can add up to a big mess. Continue reading

Running Your Business One Week At a Time

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No, I’m not suggesting you ignore a quarterly marketing plan, annual financials or your annual business plan, but realize that it’s important to run your business one week at a time as well.  Here are a few keys to success that need to be done weekly: Continue reading

Your Exit Strategy – Are You Working On One?

exit

I’ve had a number of conversations with clients recently about exit strategies.  Knowing what you want out of your business every day is always good, and knowing what you want out of it at the very end is something to spend time and thought on. Continue reading