Are you in the process of creating a business, but unsure whether your idea has any lucrative potential? While it is impossible to predict the success of every new business venture, there are certain industries that have a proven track record of yielding significant financial returns. In episode #111, Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks discuss […]

While it's tempting to believe that a small business owner should be able to accommodate even the most demanding of clients, there will be circumstances where you simply have no choice but to fire them. So, how do you terminate a professional relationship without jeopardizing your reputation? In episode #110, Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks discuss the challenging process of firing a client with special guest, Felicia Sullivan.

Executive Summary

1:37—Today's Topic: When Should I Fire a Client and What Should I Say?

4:30—A challenging client is one whose work style or views may differ from yours, but whom you can eventually collaborate with, through a little extra effort. In contrast, terrible clients are individuals who have no respect for either you or your work and should not be accommodated.

12:46—Determining whether you can afford to fire a client ultimately comes down to your current financial situation and the toll that their behavior is having on the other aspects of your business.

16:13—If you do decide to fire a client, be sure to meet with them in person and professionally explain to them why you believe you need to discontinue your services. It also helps if you provide the resources for them to transition out of the relationship.

19:14—In Felicia's experience, offering to help your client as they transition out of the professional relationship can actually reap benefits for your small business.

26:46—There are three approaches that you as a business owners can take when they decide to fire a client: explain that you can no longer offer your services due to a shift in focus; raise your fees out of their price range; or respectfully explain why the two of you are no longer a professional match.

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How to Fire a Client

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Transcript

Elizabeth: Welcome back to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. This is Elizabeth Larkin. I'm the editor of smallbizahead.com and I'm here with our small business expert, Gene Marks.

Gene: Expert?

Elizabeth: Do you think I said small business enough in that intro?

Gene: Yeah. I think that was a lot of small business -

Elizabeth: I just wanna make sure people know this is a podcast by and for small business owners. And today, we're tackling a very interesting topic; when should you fire one of your clients?

This is a good one. And we'll be back with our special guest after the break.

Our Sponsor

This podcast is brought to you by The Hartford. When the unexpected strikes, The Hartford strikes back for over 1 million small business customers with property, liability and worker's compensation insurance, check out The Hartford's small business insurance at TheHartford.com.

QUESTION: When Should I Fire This Client?

Elizabeth: So today, on the podcast, we have someone that ... Full disclosure, I've known for several years. We went to college together at Fordham University in the Bronx. Go Rams. This is Felicia Sullivan. She is a marketing expert. And she's been in business for 20 years. She's built companies. She's built brands. And now,

While it’s tempting to believe that a small business owner should be able to accommodate even the most demanding of clients, there will be circumstances where you simply have no choice but to fire them. So, how do you terminate a professional relationship without jeopardizing your reputation? In episode #110, Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks […]

Are you interested in finding more clients for your commercial cleaning service? While advertising is definitely a key component in expanding your customer base, determining which marketing platforms are best suited for your small business can be challenging, particularly if you are in an industry doesn’t have significant social media appeal. Fortunately, all is not lost. In episode #109, Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks discuss which advertising platforms will be most useful in attracting more customers to your commercial cleaning business.

Executive Summary

2:04—Today's Topic: How Do I Find More Customers for My Commercial Cleaning Service?

4:22—Google Adwords enables small business owners to create localized advertising campaigns that target potential customers in their specific area.

5:53—Facebook advertising is another option for B2B business owners who want to reach a larger audience within their particular area.

6:34—Traditional forms of advertising, such as radio commercials, offer equally as effective results for a less expensive price. They also enable you to incentivize your services, which can further increase your business.

8:11—Billboard advertising not only serves as a reminder of your business, but it can even reinforce your brand image among potential clients.

10:38—Hiring salespeople to promote your services can generate more work for your business, but only if you offer your staff appropriate compensation.

13:09—When attending software demos, Gene encourages business owners to set clear boundaries with regards to time and topics .

Links

Google Adwords

Facebook Business

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Transcript

Elizabeth: Welcome back to another edition of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Today we are gonna be talking about finding more clients. And Gene you always say this is one of the biggest challenges for any small business owner.

Gene: Yeah, of course. I mean whenever I meet a business owner that's like, "I've got enough work, no more, doors are shut on any new customers," I always raise an eyebrow.

Elizabeth: Yeah, check them into the insane asylum.

Gene: Yeah exact, you're right. I've never met any competent business owner who is not always looking for more customers. Right?

Elizabeth: Okay.

Gene: Getting leads, and getting customers is an issue for all of us. It always makes me laugh too because we were talking to, I was talking to a real estate broker friend of mine who I've known for years, and he's super successful, this guy is. He sells a lot of houses. He was telling me, first of all, I mean he sells multi-million dollar homes, and he sells $100,000 homes. He told me that no deal is too small for him. When you look around there's billboards out for him, he's got ads out there, in other words it's never enough.

Elizabeth: Yeah.

Gene: It's never enough. Right? You look at some people, and you're like wow, this guy's really successful, they must be whatever.

Are you interested in finding more clients for your commercial cleaning service? While advertising is definitely a key component in expanding your customer base, determining which marketing platforms are best suited for your small business can be challenging, particularly if you are in an industry doesn’t have significant social media appeal. Fortunately, all is not […]

Is your small business currently struggling against a big player brand that is trying push you out of the market? Although it may seem tempting to just cut your losses and close up shop, small businesses can still hold their ground against these bigger stores simply by changing their tactics and offering services that their […]

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Unfortunately, it can also mean big trouble if you are trying to launch an original and innovative small business. However, while business owners cannot completely eliminate the possibility of future duplicate products or services, there are

several precautions you can take to legally protect yourself and your ideas. In episode #106, Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks offer advice on how to prevent your small business idea from being stolen.

Executive Summary

1:10— Today's Topic: How Do I Prevent My Small Business Idea from Being Stolen?

2:48—Because ideas can be copied so easily, small business owners can choose to respond in one of two ways: pursue legal action against their competitors or simply stay focused on improving their own business.

4:13—If you own a B2B service or small business, you should consider using a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) or other contract that makes it illegal for potential employees or investors to duplicate your idea.

7:22—Small business owners who believe that they have a patentable idea need to seek legal counsel from a patent attorney; they can also apply for a provisional patent which will protect any products that are still in the developmental stage.

8:57—Documenting all the activities and developments that involve your idea is another way to protect it since these records could serve as evidence in a court setting.

10:22—If your business idea is an attempt to improve an existing product or service, be sure to verify whether it has any existing patents, otherwise you run the risk of being sued.

13:27—Gene discusses how young cities can often be the most profitable ones for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Links

LegalZoom

Federal Trade Commission

Lending Tree

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Transcript

Elizabeth: Welcome back to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. I'm Elizabeth Larkin.

Gene: Oh, I'm Gene Marks.

Elizabeth: Today we're gonna be talking about-

Gene: Crime. High crime of the highest levels.

Elizabeth: That high crime is someone stealing your startup ideas.

Gene: Yup. Yup. Yup. It happens.

Elizabeth: It happens, definitely.

Gene: People are scared about that all the time. It does happen. The question is, "What do you do? How do you protect yourself against your startup...

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Unfortunately, it can also mean big trouble if you are trying to launch an original and innovative small business. However, while business owners cannot completely eliminate the possibility of future duplicate products or services, there are several precautions you can take to legally protect yourself and […]

From aspiring Tour de France champions to leisurely weekend cyclists, there is definitely a market for small business owners who are interested in opening their own bike shop. However, despite the growing demand for specialty bike stores, business owners need to advertise beyond their existing clientele and tap into a larger audience if they hope to succeed in this specialized niche. In episode #105, Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks discuss the most effective marketing strategies for growing your bike shop as both a business and a brand.

Executive Summary

2:49—Today's Topic: How Do I Promote My Bike Shop Business?

4:22—Bike shop owners, as well as other small business owners, are encouraged to start a meetup group because it will enable them to connect with like-minded people who could ultimately become potential clients.

6:43— You can take advantage of various events or holidays by creating specific campaigns around them, such as a back-to-school bicycle campaign for teachers and students.

7:17—Building a strong social media presence on Instagram also allows your business to reach an otherwise untapped audience.

8:48—If you launch a podcast or write an e-book, you have the potential to become one of the prominent thought leaders in your particular niche and consequently, develop a strong following for your bike business.

13:14—Gene cautions small business owners against implementing any bonus systems in which the distribution is arbitrary or inconsistent because this dampens employee morale.

Links

Meetup

Instagram

GoPro

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Transcript

Elizabeth: Welcome back to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. This is Elizabeth Larkin, I'm the editor of Small Biz Ahead, the website, smallbizahead.com. And I'm here with Gene Marks, who is a small business expert and a small business owner himself.

Gene: And a writer on Small Biz Ahead ...

Elizabeth: And a writer on Small Biz Ahead.

Gene: Every week I'm contributing. You know, I send you my content every single week and are you keeping to a weekly schedule, getting my stuff out there?

Elizabeth: Absolutely.

Gene: Yeah, okay. We'll talk about that.

Elizabeth: I think we have about eight of your articles ...

Gene: In backlog.

Elizabeth: In the queue right now being edited.

Gene: You never know. Sometimes when I write something and people, we might want to have another set of eyeballs read this first before we publish it.

Elizabeth: We have a whole set. We have a whole editing process, so anything you read on Small Biz Ahead. We have a wonderful editor named Daphne, who is also a listener. Hi, Daphne. She edits everything. I edit everything.

Gene: Right. So it goes through ...

Elizabeth: It goes through a whole process and then our ... We have outside teams that look at it. When you're reading something on Small Biz Ahead, we really want you to read it. We really researched it.

Gene: Little bit of advice for you, if you're listening to this show and you're thinking of blogging on your own or blogging for another site, but even if you wanna have your blog.

From aspiring Tour de France champions to leisurely weekend cyclists, there is definitely a market for small business owners who are interested in opening their own bike shop. However, despite the growing demand for specialty bike stores, business owners need to advertise beyond their existing clientele and tap into a larger audience if they hope […]