Business Buffet

Today’s episode is a work of business fiction about a young man who feels stuck in a dead end job that is pulling him away from his family.  Rather than accepting his situation as something that can not be changed, Tommy takes life in to his own hands and turns to entrepreneurship to fix things.

After last’s week’s episode, Phil and I decided ti was time to make some changes here on the Business Buffet.  We created this channel to provide important how to information for you the listener.  While we are not changing the goal, we are revamping the process how we present the information.  In today’s episode Ed and Phil discuss the new podcast format and why making these changes are important for the future.

Today’s sponsors are:

 F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net
Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com
Oasis Lawn & Pest - oasislawnandpest.com 

If there's one rule that applies to everything in life, it's that change is inevitable and the same goes for your business. Big changes aren't always needed to help your company. Sometimes it may only require a few tweaks and adjustments to stay current in today's market. But there ARE those times that it may take a monumental shift to do the trick. If you're not sure how to tell when, or even IF, it's time for a change Ed and I will talk about telltale signs that indicate you should look at making a change on todays episode of the Business Buffet.

Thank you to our sponsors for today’s episode:

• F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net  208-687-0183
• Oasis Lawn and Pest - oasislawnandpest.com  208-921-3686
• Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com

Phil and I help lots of small business owners and more often than not, the reason a business is struggling is due to decision paralysis.  The business owners know a decision much be made and even know the decision that must be made, but fails to pull the trigger.  In today’s episode we will explore the pros and cons of waiting until something is perfect versus getting to market as soon as possible.

Thank you to our sponsors for today’s episode:

• Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com
• F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net
• Oasis Lawn and Pest - oasislawnandpest.com 

The holidays are fast approaching. In this most unusual year of 2020, summer has flown by us and we’re now, unbelievably, in the month of Halloween, which means savvy small businesses are already looking ahead to the holiday shopping season. And that doesn’t mean JUST Christmas! Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday all count. And of course, there’s  Thanksgiving, too!  Smart businesses have reviewed data from last year to determine what promotions worked versus those that did not. They have defined and set sales goals, optimized their websites for desktop and mobile devices, and created marketing campaigns targeted to their ideal shopper. Is YOUR business ready for the holidays? Ed and I will light a fire under you on this episode of The Business Buffet!

For Small Business Saturday on November 28th make sure to add your business to the Shop Small map, and take advantage of free promotional materials available to small businesses.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Oasis Lawn and Pest https://oasislawnandpest.com 
• Abandon Your Aches Massage https://ayamassagecda.com 
• F1 for HELP 

Guerrilla marketing is an advertisement strategy in which a company uses surprise and/or unconventional interactions in order to promote a product or service. It is a type of publicity. The term was popularized by Jay Conrad Levinson's 1984 book Guerrilla Marketing.

Guerrilla marketing uses multiple techniques and practices in order to establish direct contact with the customers. One of the goals of this interaction is to cause an emotional reaction in the clients, and the ultimate goal of marketing is to get people to remember products or brands in a different way than they are accustomed to.

Guerrilla marketing is relatively inexpensive, and focuses more on reach rather than frequency.[citation needed] For guerrilla campaigns to be successful, companies don't need to spend large amounts, they just need to have imagination, energy and time. Therefore, it has the potential to be effective for small businesses, especially if they are competing against bigger companies.

In today’s episode we are going to explore 7 online guerrilla marketing ideas that could give your business that extra oomph you need to rise about your competition.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com   
• F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net

If there is one thing consistent in business, it’s that virtually ALL businesses THINK customer service is what separates them from their competition. Like the word ‘branding’, however, the words ‘customer service’ also has a different meaning to different people. In the past, people chose which companies they did business with based on price, or the product or service offered, but today the overall experience is often the driver. Is your business catering to the customer experience? On this episode of the Business Buffet, Ed and I will talk through and walk through some very important things to consider implementing before you start telling people YOUR customer service is second to none.

Thank you to our sponsors:

• Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com   
• F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net

Thomas Henry with AdWeek wrote an article titled A 4-Step Roadmap to Help Brands Create a Marketing Plan for the ‘New Normal’.  He highlights four interesting areas, but as I was reading the article I didn’t feel the small business was being considered.  Today Phil and I will explore the four suggested roadmap waypoints Mr Henry references and introduce our small business slant.  At the end of this episode, you will be able to read the business climate for your industry and anticipate the new normal.

 F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net
Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com 

Today, Ed and Phil are going to ask the questions, “Are you listening to your customers?” on this episode of the Business Buffet.

A big thank you to our sponsors:

 Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com
F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net 

Today’s episode is a deep exploration of something a big box store is doing to succeed and then Ed & Phil drill down to the main elements any business can use to improve their business.

A big thank you to our sponsors:

• F1 for Help - www.f1forhelp.net 
• Abandon Your Aches Massage - ayamassagecda.com