On today's program, Michael Rogers talks with Janeve Helmbold, owner and creative director of Crystal Cranes Media and an Elite member of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Inspired by her parents' immigrant journey and successful restaurant, she developed the PRISM model: Prove it, Research it, Invert it, Shape it, Make it – a framework that helps businesses identify and leverage their unique differentiators. "Very similarly to my parents, small businesses usually have the least amount of money for marketing and don't have the luxury of trial and error," she says. "Every dollar that they spend has to count, and so that's why being strategy forward is so important. If you don't start with clarity and direction, you can end up pouring money into things that look nice but don't actually move the needle."

The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan's small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We're located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.

Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own. 

Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!

(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)