For months it seems like all we’ve talked about is how to get through a crisis in business. Whether it’s ‘Rona or protesters that are taking out their anger on brick and mortar stores, businesses have been hit from all angles. Today we’re going to shift gears a little bit and talk about the pros and cons of partnerships in business.

Today’s episode is sponsored by:

Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com
F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net
Social Media Summit - swmcda.com

Over time, your service-based business will need to adapt to customer needs, industry shifts, technology advances, and economic conditions.  Are you conditioned to be on the look-out for when a change is required or are you an individual who feels your business will never need to change?  In today’s episode, Ed & Phil will discuss the types of changes that face different types of businesses and ways to embrace the change.

Today’s episode is sponsored by:

• F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net
• Social Media Summit - swmcda.com
• Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com

It happens more times than we want but it IS a given, as business owners, we will have to navigate a storm, navigate said storm to the best of our ability, and hope for a positive outcome. We’ve had to do that through this Coronavirus lockdown, for sure, but sometimes the storm resides from within. We can TRY to prepare ourselves for whatever comes our way, but at the end of the day, we can’t predict every scenario. Zenefits Chairman and CEO, Jay Fulcher, knew from day one he had his work cut out for him as he was asked, in February 2017, to take over silicon valley’s sweetheart, Zenefits, a company headquartered in San Francisco that offers cloud-based software as a service to companies for managing their human resources, with a particular focus on helping them with health insurance coverage. On today’s Ingredients episode of the Business Buffet, Jay will share some of the challenges he faced and had to overcome, and the major move he made within the first week of taking over.

Thanks to our sponsors:

Visit Social Media Summit CDA at https://www.smwcda.com 

Visit Abandon Your Aches Massage at https://ayamassagecda.com 

Call F1 for Help at (208) 687-0183

For more information on Zenefits, visit https://www.zenefits.com

For small business owners, the last thing they need is another social media platform to learn and use. LinkedIn, however, is a must for any business that benefits from referrals, is a B2B business or a B2C business that needs great talent to hire and to stay informed about their industry. Today we will touch on the benefit of having a presence on LinkedIn during this 1st Business Buffet episode of season 2 and we’ll be doing it ‘live’ from Season’s Restaurant in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, during the Network CDA weekly lunch. The Business Buffet is open at Seasons. It’s time to eat hearty in business and eat hearty at Seasons! Let’s do this!

Sponsors:
Social Media Summit CDA
F1 for Help - Call (208) 687-0183
Abandon Your Aches Massage

Phil and Ed discuss challenges small business faces with social distancing and the government ordered shut-downs as well as potential solutions to overcome the challenge.  This episode is not about business as usual, but rather business survival in a COVID-19 World.

#EatHeartyInBusiness, #COVID19Business, #SmallBusinessSuccess

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Social Media Summit CDA
• F1 for Help

Growing a brand is never easy. It takes forethought, commitment, perseverance and the strength to will it to fruition. Or in the case of today’s guest, the strength to will it into a mug, in the form of premium coffee. On the Business Buffet, we’re constantly talking about staying consistent with your brand down to every detail. Tom O’Keefe founded Tully’s coffee, and was a man so closely associated with the operation that his middle name IS the company’s name, Tully’s. He will talk about the challenges of taking on the industry leader, Starbucks, as well as ways in which he has given back to the community, in this Ingredients episode of the Business Buffet.

Thank you to our sponsor. Please visit https://www.smwcda.com for more information on Social Media Summit Coeur d’Alene and the Social Media Summit Inner Circle.

There are many reasons people go into business for themselves: They see an underserved niche and want to fill it, hate their jobs and want to become their own boss or think they can produce a better product and/or service than anyone else. There are no doubt many other reasons but many people simply realize exchanging hours for dollars is limited. Starting your own business means you can work as much or as little as you like and there is no limit to what you can earn. And all of this is true. But those that don’t take intentional thought into business ownership will likely get chewed up and spit out. If a small business owner can’t answer the question, “What separates your business from your competition” then there is a long uphill battle in their future. Today we will help you get over that hump and give you some tips and steps to consider when setting out to separate you from your competitors on this episode of the Business Buffet.

The terms “brand” and “business” are often used interchangeably. While the dictionary definitions might be similar, there is a distinct difference. Today we’re going to start with the very basics when it comes to branding and what that means on this Side Dish episode of the Business Buffet.

Thank you to our sponsor. Please visit https://www.smwcda.com for more information on Social Media Summit Coeur d’Alene and the Social Media Summit Inner Circle.

Business has become too dependent on digital marketing channels and has lost touch with the idea of marketing diversification.  What happens when a digital channel shuts down?  Until COVID, most businesses did not think that was possible.  Reality is not only was it possible, but it has been happening more and more and started long before the coronavirus.

Political ideology, technology shifts, company acquisitions, and social trends all impact digital messaging and can push aside messaging that conform to norms.  The key point for this podcast is to keep your digital marketing, but make sure you have other channels to reach your audience.  The number one lead-generating marketing method is still tradeshow exhibiting.

In today’s episode we’ll talk with Mel White, VP of Marketing and Business Development for Classic Exhibits, a leading tradeshow and exhibit manufacture and get his take on the condition of the tradeshow exhibiting option for marketing your business.

There’s Google Ad words, SEO, Social Media, Print, Direct Mail, Radio, Television… how on earth can your business stand out in all of this marketing noise? Well, you may have to consider some off the beaten path marketing for your business and that’s what I’m going to talk about on THIS Side Dish episode of the Business Buffet.

Thanks to our sponsor, F1 for HELP. Please call them at 208-687-0183.