We are living in a video world.  Our guest Chris Weiher thinks video should be in the tool kit of every small business.  The mistake he thinks many business owners make is thinking they need to commit to video forever, and forever is intimidating. 

Instead, he says start small and learn as you go. 

I am sure you think this headline is a mistake, that I meant to say something else, but I really mean this. If you want to build a successful business in a vibrant marketplace, you will grow faster if you help your competitors. Before you decide I am completely crazy, consider the following:

1. You don’t know everything. Hanging around with other business owners in the same industry gives you a chance to learn a few things in  exchange for sharing a few tips of your own.

Google wants you to succeed and in this conversation with Stormy Knight, we talk about what they're doing to help you do just that.

Remember that Google's main product is great search results. While they have some of the most comprehensive data bases in the world, they may not have the detailed information about your business. 

Your Google My Business Profile helps fill in some of the blanks that makes it easy for Google to present your company when people are looking for a business like yours.  

.About Stormy Knight 

Stormy is an internet marketing speaker and writer. She wrote the original “20 Reasons To Put Your Business On The World Wide Web”in 1995, one of the first articles that outlined how to successfully use the internet for marketing.

How do you decide which marketing tactics to try? Megan Prejzner says you should start with business goals in mind. Boil it all down to the ones which are going to move your business goals forward and forward the fastest. Don't be overwhelmed by choices and then wind up doing nothing because of analysis paralysis. Look at your business, get clear on what you are trying to achieve and select the one tactic which can be the most efficient in moving you toward your end goal

Even new, completely innovative products have competition. Long before your product comes into the market, customers have found ways to solve their problems. Understanding who your real competitors are is critical to your business success. As you analyze your competitors, it can be helpful to think about the three levels of competition.

Level One. These companies solve the customer’s problem with products or services that are very similar to yours. While you may have enhanced features or slightly different offerings, it is likely an uninformed consumer will assume your products are interchangeable.

Level Two. These companies offer an alternative solution to your customer’s problem. On the surface, they may not appear to be a direct competitor because the product or service is dramatically different. If, however, this alternative solution solves your customer’s problem, it is a competitor.

Level Three. These companies or products do not solve the same problem at all, but compete for your customer’s limited resources.

Your business may not have competitors in every category, but you have some. As you think about the solution you provide from your customer’s perspective, why would they choose one of the alternative solutions? Price? Habit? Unless you understand why they are making the choice, it will be difficult to help them choose you instead.

A competitive analysis is just one part of your overall business plan Ready to update yours?   Check our our new Self-Paced Business Plan Workshop

While you don't want to change your brand frequently, guest Amanda Guerassio suggests there are signs you are ready for a refresh.  

1. If you designed your logo yourself when you started your business, and the branding suite just isn't as professional as you would like

I know you think you are a business owner not a salesperson but everybody really is a salesperson. In this conversation with Tracey Beavers we explored ways you can create sales without "selling"

She suggests you start by being yourself.  The reason no one likes to think of themselves as a salesperson because there are so many bad salespeople out there. They're aggressive, spammy, weird. and annoying. They make us uncomfortable and we don't want to feel that way.  She says take the word sales out of the equation. Don't even think about it because that word is intimidating. 

Too often inventors and entrepreneurs fall in love with their idea. Just because it can be built, does not mean it should be.  Before you launch your business, you need to answer a really important questions.  Does anyone really want your product? That’s where research comes in helping you determine how many individuals or businesses have a need for your product or service and, more important, how many are likely to buy?

History is full of well-designed, extremely innovative products that were commercially unsuccessful because customers did not believe they needed them. You can research to determine market size, competitive products, preliminary level of interest in your product and customers’ willingness to change.

A good starting point for your research is data from the U.S. Census Bureau, your local chamber of commerce, library and online data bases. These broad studies can give you a feel for the overall size of a community. Surveys, focus groups, and informal conversations with potential customers, will help you evaluate the market acceptance of your product.

 Remember, just because they “should” like it, doesn’t mean they will.

Many small business owners startup a business or launch a product with little or no budget. I asked successful founder, Jason Hubbard about some of  the mistakes businesses make when they jump into the game. 

He told me the biggest mistake people make jumping in is underestimating how long it will take to get to a place where it is actually a sustainable business.  The underestimate how long that's going to take, how much runway they will need and the amount of blood sweat and tears that go into being successful.

About Jason 

Jason has literally grown-up in startups, including helping to grow three top 100 Inc. Fastest Growing Private Companies. Jason is now running his own technology-enabled growth services agency, DemandMagic.

Small business owners, particularly solo entrepreneurs often forget that their personal and business on-line security are tightly intertwined.  

Guest Josh Summers says that a focus on security begins by separating yourself from your business. For example many people will register their company with their home address. Unfortunately, that address becomes part of the public record, for years and years.   

Changing it down the road can be costly and time consuming.  He advocates for separating the address right from the start. Using a virtual address or post office box just for your business.

About Josh - 

Josh Summers is small business owner who has experienced first-hand what happens when your identity is stolen, your accounts get hacked and you are digitally surveilled. He now runs All Things Secured, a brand that helps people make smart choices about their online security and privacy, whether that's individuals, freelancers or other small business owners.