How do you know when you have a brilliant new business idea? Should you let your employees use smartphones while they’re on the job? Elizabeth Larkin and Gene Marks tackle these questions on today’s Small Biz Ahead podcast.

Show Notes

* Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

* Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

* Leave a review on iTunes

Links

* How Small Business Owners Can Keep Customers Loyal and Coming Back for More

Elizabeth: Welcome back to another edition of The Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Gene, how are you today?

Gene: I am doing well and excited to be talking to you.

Elizabeth: I’m so excited to announce today that the podcast is finally on iTunes.

Gene: Thank goodness.

Elizabeth: You can go and subscribe to it there.

Gene: Yep, I agree, so stop listening to the Beatles and move on and listen to this podcast, because it’s way more entertaining and fun.

Elizabeth: Exactly. Definitely. Because it’s now on iTunes, we’ve been getting some reviews. Reviews really help us, because the more reviews we get, the higher up in iTunes we go, the more people start listening. The more listeners we have, the more questions we get. We’re already getting a lot of questions now.

I wanted to take a moment to read one of the reviews that we got, which is going to be very awkward for us, but …

Gene: Bring it on.

Elizabeth: We have to do it anyway.

Gene: This review is from Simon Cowell of America’s Got Talent. Go ahead.

Elizabeth: Our first review, we got a four-star review, and it’s, quote: “Okay, so I don’t normally review anything on iTunes like apps or games or whatever.” I like this person’s style. “This podcast is great because it’s really just information about running a business. It’s not boring stuff where the host just talks about their lives or go off in a million different directions. I guess it’s the organization of the whole thing that I like. They choose two questions from owners or listeners and answer them, so it functions like a casual guide in audio form, more than some egomaniacal maniac rambling about his thoughts on a subject.”

Well, thank you very much for that review.

Gene: Thank you very much, Mom. That was really nice of you to submit that. I’ve got a bunch more reviews for you to write as well, so I’ll be in touch. You’re the best.

Elizabeth: Thanks, Mom.

We’re going to be right back with our first question, which is about if you have a brilliant idea, how do you know if it’s going to make a good business, after we hear from our sponsor.

That review was crazy.

Gene: That’s good.

QUESTION 1: Testing Out My Brilliant Idea 

All right. We’re back with our first question. This is from Rebecca from New London, Connecticut, and Rebecca has a great idea for a business, but she’s not sure if it’s going to work.

She writes, “I’m a freelancer in an industry that has undergone massive changes since I first started about ten years ago. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to do the type of work I want to do and get paid for it under the current model of freelancing in this field. I came up with a brilliant idea that probably everyone else on the planet has already had.

So you’re about to have a baby. Congratulations! But you also want to start a business at the same time. How do you do everything at once? And how do you manage employees when you’re the same age as they are? Join hosts Gene Marks and Elizabeth Larkin as they discuss these questions and more on this episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Elizabeth: Welcome back to another addition of the Small Biz Ahead podcast. Gene and I are here on a beautiful Friday afternoon in April and typically we try to not talk about anything too timely because we never know when people are going to be listening, but we do have to mention that it’s April 15th today.

Gene: Yes. It is.

Elizabeth: Luckily, this year tax day was extended to the 18th. I always feel like the people that don’t do their taxes until the last minute, you could give them another month, and they’re still just going to do it at the last minute.

Gene: There’s people in this world that are just procrastinators, right?

Elizabeth: Yes. As a small business owner, Gene, what do you think about, what do you start thinking about now for next year as far as taxes?

Gene: I’ll tell you what we do. I’m a CPA, but I don’t do taxes.

Elizabeth: You’ve told us that we should not hire you.

Gene: You don’t want to hire me as a CPA, but there are certain things that you do learn by route as being a CPA. One of the things I do, like a lot of business owners do, I make estimated payments because a lot of business owners they file an es-corp tax return, very common, and then it comes down to their personal income tax. They’re not withholding taxes so you have to make estimated payments throughout the year. I’ll tell you what we do is … You know you’ve got to make your payment on April 15th and then in June and then in September so we send our accountants an updated journal ledger, like an income statement from our accounting system, before we make our estimated payments, and we pay them for an hours worth of work, and they review it just to make sure that the estimated payment is on track or if it could be even less.

If we expect to make less money this year, I don’t want to be making estimated payments that were based on a more profitable year before. I’d rather hold onto it. Paying in too much, whenever people say to me, I got a big refund!

Elizabeth: That’s not a good idea.

Gene: I’m like that’s kind of stupid because the IRS has your money all of that time and you’re earning no interest. One big thing I always tell clients to do is if you’re making estimated payments, work closely with your accountant throughout the year. Keep them clued in on where you are, and adjust those estimated payments. Put the money in your pocket. Don’t give it to the IRS.

Elizabeth: I think for individuals a lot of times people think, if I had that money I’d just spend it so I want to pay in more throughout the year, and then I’m going to get that big $7,000 and then I’m going to take that and spend … If you’re just going to take that and put that in your retirement account, I guess that’s fine, but wouldn’t you want it going into your retirement account like all year long?

Gene: Then take that difference and put it into your 401...

What do you do if the family business you inherited is slightly embarrassing? And is owning real estate and renting it out a legit small business? Listen now to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast with hosts Gene Marks and Elizabeth Larkin:

Show Notes

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode. Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links Discussed in This Episode

* Schedule a 15-Minute Break Before You Burn Out

Elizabeth: Okay. Welcome back to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead podcast. Gene, I want to start today by talking about something that I think is very, very important, whether you’re a small business owner or you work for a small business, or you work for a small company, which is taking breaks during the day.

Gene: Yes.

Elizabeth: How many breaks do you take?

Gene: I don’t know.

Elizabeth: Too many to count?

Gene: A lot. People need breaks. It was funny, I was at a client yesterday and we had the same discussion. This guy was walking by, he came in to talk to me and he was saying, “I just walked by these two people and for like 10 minutes they were out there talking to each other” It was two employees of his, they were just out there chatting away about nonsense. He was saying to me it was driving me nuts because every business owner, and I’m going to write about this, business owners walk around calculating how much things are costing them all the time.

In his head, he’s thinking, “That’s two people, ten minutes, that’s twenty minutes at a certain rate per hour. That conversation just cost me like $75. I am really furious about that.” He came in to talk to me about how annoyed he was. Employees have to be cognitive of the fact that’s what we’re always thinking about all the time. At the same time, I think business owners all have to be cognitive. You’re not employing robots. These people, ten minutes. I know both of them. They’re good employees they’re good workers. That’s then minutes, they’re hanging out, and they’re having a conversation about what they watched on TV the night before. You have to not only give yourself breaks but you have to let your people take some breaks. That’s what human beings are designed to do. There’s no set amount of breaks that you should be taking during the day, right?

Elizabeth: You should take them. Yesterday, my co-worker and I decided to go get coffee and because I work at The Hartford which is a large corporation, we have I think two coffee shops here –

Gene: Inside the building and a gym and a movie theater and an amusement park. It’s incredible here. The roller coaster here is unbelievable.

Elizabeth: It’s world renowned. It’s in the Guinness book. We do have, I think it’s two coffee shops, two cafeterias and I just said to her, “Eh, I kind of …” Afternoon drifts, I need a coffee and of course, I only drink decaf. Psychologically, I’m like, “Oh, I need my caffeine.” We sat down, had coffee and we were chatting about what we were going to do that weekend but then we started talking about work projects and we solved something that we had been thinking about sitting in our cubical an...

What’s the best way to organize your to do list as a busy small business owner? How can you expand your service-based business into a service-and-product based business? Join hosts Elizabeth Lakrin and Gene Marks as they tackle these questions and more on this episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones? Yes, Really

Why Every Small Business (Yes, Even Yours) Needs a CRM System

You Don't need to Manage Customer Relationships, Right?

Card Cash

Gene: We're talking about TV, so what is your favorite TV show on right now, Elizabeth? Give me one. Give us a recommendation.

Elizabeth: Okay, so I just- I can't say one. I am a real TV person. I don't watch it every night, but I have shows that I'm so loyal to, most of them aren't on the air anymore. Right now I'm finishing up House of Cards, which is insane, that show is crazy. The Americans, I'm kind of behind, I'm watching it on Amazon, and I just finished The People v. O.J. Simpson, which was so good. You're a big Walking Dead fan?

Gene: Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Better Call Saul.

Elizabeth: Better Call Saul! Me too! Yes.

Gene: Excellent. Excellent show, been really enjoying it. Different vibe from Breaking Bad, but still very Breaking Bad-ish. I really, highly recommend watching- if you're a Breaking Bad fan, you'll love it.

Elizabeth: I just read something- maybe I didn't read the article, but I saw it on Twitter, someone said that they like it better than Breaking Bad.

Gene: Yes, I can understand that because, again, it's a different vibe. It's a little bit funnier, it's a little bit, you know what I mean? It's not as crazy and violent as Breaking Bad was. What I like the most is, on Better Call Saul, because it's a prequel you've got a lot of the Breaking Bad characters show up on that show.

Elizabeth: Yes, I love that.

Gene: They're sort of their younger selves, and I think that's really cool. Plus, I hate surprises, so I know how they all turn out. I never have to worry. You know, somebody's getting into trouble, I'm like, "this guy, he doesn't die because he's in Breaking Bad, so he'll be fine."

Elizabeth: Don't ever throw you a surprise party.

Gene: No, I do not like surprises.

Elizabeth: No? Okay.

Gene: Do not like surprises.

Elizabeth: We actually have an article that we just published on Small Biz Ahead this week, and it's called "Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones."

Gene: Yes.

Elizabeth: Which is really a lot of fun.

What’s the best way to organize your to do list as a busy small business owner? How can you expand your service-based business into a service-and-product based business? Join hosts Elizabeth Lakrin and Gene Marks as they tackle these questions and more on this episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones? Yes, Really

Why Every Small Business (Yes, Even Yours) Needs a CRM System

You Don't need to Manage Customer Relationships, Right?

Card Cash

Gene: We're talking about TV, so what is your favorite TV show on right now, Elizabeth? Give me one. Give us a recommendation.

Elizabeth: Okay, so I just- I can't say one. I am a real TV person. I don't watch it every night, but I have shows that I'm so loyal to, most of them aren't on the air anymore. Right now I'm finishing up House of Cards, which is insane, that show is crazy. The Americans, I'm kind of behind, I'm watching it on Amazon, and I just finished The People v. O.J. Simpson, which was so good. You're a big Walking Dead fan?

Gene: Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Better Call Saul.

Elizabeth: Better Call Saul! Me too! Yes.

Gene: Excellent. Excellent show, been really enjoying it. Different vibe from Breaking Bad, but still very Breaking Bad-ish. I really, highly recommend watching- if you're a Breaking Bad fan, you'll love it.

Elizabeth: I just read something- maybe I didn't read the article, but I saw it on Twitter, someone said that they like it better than Breaking Bad.

Gene: Yes, I can understand that because, again, it's a different vibe. It's a little bit funnier, it's a little bit, you know what I mean? It's not as crazy and violent as Breaking Bad was. What I like the most is, on Better Call Saul, because it's a prequel you've got a lot of the Breaking Bad characters show up on that show.

Elizabeth: Yes, I love that.

Gene: They're sort of their younger selves, and I think that's really cool. Plus, I hate surprises, so I know how they all turn out. I never have to worry. You know, somebody's getting into trouble, I'm like, "this guy, he doesn't die because he's in Breaking Bad, so he'll be fine."

Elizabeth: Don't ever throw you a surprise party.

Gene: No, I do not like surprises.

Elizabeth: No? Okay.

Gene: Do not like surprises.

Elizabeth: We actually have an article that we just published on Small Biz Ahead this week, and it's called "Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones."

Gene: Yes.

Elizabeth: Which is really a lot of fun.

What’s the best way to organize your to do list as a busy small business owner? How can you expand your service-based business into a service-and-product based business? Join hosts Elizabeth Lakrin and Gene Marks as they tackle these questions and more on this episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links Referenced In this Episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

* Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones? Yes, Really

* Why Every Small Business (Yes, Even Yours) Needs a CRM System

* You Don’t need to Manage Customer Relationships, Right?

* Card Cash

Gene: We’re talking about TV, so what is your favorite TV show on right now, Elizabeth? Give me one. Give us a recommendation.

Elizabeth: Okay, so I just- I can’t say one. I am a real TV person. I don’t watch it every night, but I have shows that I’m so loyal to, most of them aren’t on the air anymore. Right now I’m finishing up House of Cards, which is insane, that show is crazy. The Americans, I’m kind of behind, I’m watching it on Amazon, and I just finished The People v. O.J. Simpson, which was so good. You’re a big Walking Dead fan?

Gene: Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Better Call Saul.

Elizabeth: Better Call Saul! Me too! Yes.

Gene: Excellent. Excellent show, been really enjoying it. Different vibe from Breaking Bad, but still very Breaking Bad-ish. I really, highly recommend watching- if you’re a Breaking Bad fan, you’ll love it.

Elizabeth: I just read something- maybe I didn’t read the article, but I saw it on Twitter, someone said that they like it better than Breaking Bad.

Gene: Yes, I can understand that because, again, it’s a different vibe. It’s a little bit funnier, it’s a little bit, you know what I mean? It’s not as crazy and violent as Breaking Bad was. What I like the most is, on Better Call Saul, because it’s a prequel you’ve got a lot of the Breaking Bad characters show up on that show.

Elizabeth: Yes, I love that.

Gene: They’re sort of their younger selves, and I think that’s really cool. Plus, I hate surprises, so I know how they all turn out. I never have to worry. You know, somebody’s getting into trouble, I’m like, “this guy, he doesn’t die because he’s in Breaking Bad, so he’ll be fine.”

Elizabeth: Don’t ever throw you a surprise party.

Gene: No, I do not like surprises.

Elizabeth: No? Okay.

Gene: Do not like surprises.

Elizabeth: We actually have an article that we just published on Small Biz Ahead this week, and it’s called “Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones.”

Gene: Yes.

Elizabeth: Which is really a lot of fun. That show is crazy.

Gene: It is. It is a wonderful, wonderful show.

Listen now to the latest episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Links Discussed In This Episode of the The Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

* Alexis Ohanian, Reddit

* 5 Creative Ways to Finance Your Busines

* Five Public Speaking Tips That Increase Everyday Charisma

* Want to Promote Your Small Business for Free? Here Are 5 Tips to Help You Score a Public Speaking Gig Today

* 9 PowerPoint Tips from a Small Business Owner

* How PowerPoint Can Kill Your Presentation

* Discover a New Way to Market Your Small Business: Why You Should Pursue Public Speaking (and How to Be Good at It)

Questions Answered in the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Elizabeth: Welcome back to another addition of the Small Biz Ahead podcast. Gene, thanks for being here again with me this week.

Gene: Happy to be here. Having fun?

Elizabeth: We’re having so much fun, I hope the audience is too, because I’m enjoying … I’m learning so much from the questions, from you, and from the research were doing for this … It’s so much fun.

Gene: Do you know why Elizabeth you’re having fun is because you’re doing something different from your daily job.

Elizabeth: Exactly.

Gene: You’re out of your cubicle and we’re sitting here in a studio and we’re talking. It’s like a change up. I have to say that’s the case for any business owner. When you’re running a business you get so wrapped in all the minutia and the BS. Any employee, it’s the same thing.

I’ll never forget when I started writing, this was 10 years ago, and I started writing columns. I’d be driving out to a client and I’m all upset about some issue that’s going on or some nonsense that’s going on or whatever, but instead of thinking about that I’d be “Oh what am I going to write about for my next column?” It would totally change your state. It just switches you up.

I always say that to my clients as well. It’s very, very easy to get over absorbed in your business. Take it from me, find something else outside of your business that you really like to do. Find anything else that you enjoy, that you enjoy thinking about, talking about, whatever. Because when things are driving you nuts in your company turning to another activity, even just thinking about it will make you much less mental.

Elizabeth: Okay, so I have a really, really good recommendation for business owners for this. It might scare them a little bit and we’re going to talk about it in the words of brilliance at the end.

First we’re going to get to questions though,

Do you want to attract better, smarter and more engaged employees to your small business? You might have to loosen the reigns on remote work and fringe benefits say Gene Marks and Elizabeth Larkin in the latest episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Also discussed: how to know when to sell your business.

Listen now to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links Discussed in This Episode

* 9 Tech Tools for Your Work-At-Home Employee

* What to Know About the Virtual Workforce

* 7 Do’s and Don’ts for Managing Work-from-Home Employees

* Why Every Business Needs a CRM System (Yes, Even Yours)

* What’s the Best Online Payroll Option for Your Small Business Right Now?

Questions Answered in this Episode

* What do millennials want in a workplace?

* What does work/life balance even mean?

* Should you hire millennials because of their youth?

* Should you give up your parking spot for your employees?

Elizabeth: Welcome back to the Small Biz Ahead podcast. We’re going to talk about fringe benefits, and when to sell your company. Gene.

Gene: Yes.

Elizabeth: We were just talking about Millennials, and how they really value a “work life balance” more than a paycheck. What does work life balance even mean?

Gene: Yeah, it’s funny. When we were talking about fringe benefits. I wish I had the source for you, Elizabeth, but there was a .. There was some study that was just done recently where 2/3 of the Millennials … By Millennials, 18- to 34-year-olds, somewhere in that range. 2/3 of them would prefer more flexibility in their job than a pay raise. It’s that much more important to them.

Elizabeth: That means the ability to work at home or the ability to go down to an 80% paycheck or something.

Gene: It is. It’s being mobile, it’s working from home, it’s having more paid time off in lieu of compensation, it’s having the ability to be a little bit more independent. It’s the entrepreneurial Millennial, where there’s this blending of the corporate worker and somebody who does feel like they have a little bit more control over their day. I always thought the number one biggest benefit that I’ve ever gotten from running my own business is I have more control over my life. There’s a lot of downsides. People that work in companies sometimes don’t, so to give them the ability, the younger generation get it. They’re smarter, and it’s not worth it.

Elizabeth: Do you think that’s different from other generations? I’m a Gen Xer, and I would love more flexibility in my job.

Gene: Yeah. I think it all sounds great to people of older generations,

This week's podcast is all about smart, budget-friendly ways that small businesses can use social media to their advantage. You can make a big impact with a small budget and a little elbow grease. You can also make mistakes. We talk to guest Ryan Heisler on what to do and what not to do on your social media channels.

Listen now to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

7 Habits of Great Leaders

Get Started With Social Media

In This Episode We Answer:

How do you measure social media success?

How often should you post on social media?

How to deal with angry customers/reviews on social media?

How much of your marketing budget should you use on social media?

Elizabeth:  Welcome back to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead podcast. Gene, how are you doing?

Gene: I'm doing fine, how are you Elizabeth?

Elizabeth: I'm great and we're so happy to have you back in Hartford today and it's actually looking a little spring-like.

QUESTION #1: What Features Should I Use on My Facebook Page? 

Elizabeth: Okay, we're back with our first question and it's from Nick from Louisiana. Nick writes,

"I have a bike shop that I've been owner and operator of for 22 years, we've been on Facebook for the last 3. What are some of the best features small business owners can add to their Facebook pages? For example, I can't stand checking out a local restaurant on Facebook and not being able to see their menu." I totally agree with that, "Or not being able to see small businesses store hour, also agree. Can you give me some recommendations about what features I should add to my Facebook page?"

Gene: This is a bike shop.

Elizabeth: This is a bike shop, yes. So Ryan, who runs our social media here at The Hartford, we've asked him to join us, Ryan Heisler, social media manager. Ryan you're going to take a stab at answering this question before we weigh in.

Ryan: Certainly.

Gene: Are you a motorcycle rider Ryan or a ... ?

Ryan: I'm actually, this is my background industry, so I worked in the specialty running and triathlon industry-

Gene: Oh great, okay.

Ryan:Ran social media for stores similar to yours Nick. You've hit on a couple of really key features that you want to see on your Facebook page. Number one, you've got to have your store hours up there. You need to be able to showcase to your potential customers because they're going to Facebook, they're not necessarily going to Google to search for you. Include your location. Let's cover a couple of key basics. You're also going to want to define exactly what it is that you are. You have that option in Facebook's page navigation menu. To be able to set what type of business you are and make it really clear.

That way if you have a couple of similarly named businesses in your area,

This week's podcast is all about smart, budget-friendly ways that small businesses can use social media to their advantage. You can make a big impact with a small budget and a little elbow grease. You can also make mistakes. We talk to guest Ryan Heisler on what to do and what not to do on your social media channels.

Listen now to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead Podcast. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you never miss an episode.

Do you have a question you’d like Elizabeth and Gene to answer? Submit your question to the Small Biz Ahead Podcast.

Links

7 Habits of Great Leaders

Get Started With Social Media

In This Episode We Answer:

How do you measure social media success?

How often should you post on social media?

How to deal with angry customers/reviews on social media?

How much of your marketing budget should you use on social media?

Elizabeth:  Welcome back to another episode of the Small Biz Ahead podcast. Gene, how are you doing?

Gene: I'm doing fine, how are you Elizabeth?

Elizabeth: I'm great and we're so happy to have you back in Hartford today and it's actually looking a little spring-like.

QUESTION #1: What Features Should I Use on My Facebook Page? 

Elizabeth: Okay, we're back with our first question and it's from Nick from Louisiana. Nick writes,

"I have a bike shop that I've been owner and operator of for 22 years, we've been on Facebook for the last 3. What are some of the best features small business owners can add to their Facebook pages? For example, I can't stand checking out a local restaurant on Facebook and not being able to see their menu." I totally agree with that, "Or not being able to see small businesses store hour, also agree. Can you give me some recommendations about what features I should add to my Facebook page?"

Gene: This is a bike shop.

Elizabeth: This is a bike shop, yes. So Ryan, who runs our social media here at The Hartford, we've asked him to join us, Ryan Heisler, social media manager. Ryan you're going to take a stab at answering this question before we weigh in.

Ryan: Certainly.

Gene: Are you a motorcycle rider Ryan or a ... ?

Ryan: I'm actually, this is my background industry, so I worked in the specialty running and triathlon industry-

Gene: Oh great, okay.

Ryan:Ran social media for stores similar to yours Nick. You've hit on a couple of really key features that you want to see on your Facebook page. Number one, you've got to have your store hours up there. You need to be able to showcase to your potential customers because they're going to Facebook, they're not necessarily going to Google to search for you. Include your location. Let's cover a couple of key basics. You're also going to want to define exactly what it is that you are. You have that option in Facebook's page navigation menu. To be able to set what type of business you are and make it really clear.

That way if you have a couple of similarly named businesses in your area,