Tune into KTRS 550AM on The McGraw Milhaven Show to hear owner Jennifer Q. Williams talk Small Business. Being an award-winning business leader in the St. Louis Business Community for over 20 years, Jennifer will talk Small Business!! Tips on getting your business started, turning an idea into a business, what tools you need to start, run and grown your Small Business. According to SBA Small Businesses make up 99.7% of all employer firms.
10/17/13 #SMALLBIZTALK show tips: Define your target customer – be specific! Don’t just say “all women.” Say “all women, ages 35-60, who own a home, live in the Metropolitan St. Louis Area, with a household income of over $60,000.” This will allow you to better target your advertising and allow you to grow your product offerings to a specific market. It also helps you keep on track with business plan, marketing plan and growth plans. Create a BRAND…this does not mean design a logo – although having a logo is part of it. A BRAND is the entire experience a customer has with your company from the beginning to end. It includes everything from how you answer your phone to your employees uniforms and vehicles. Your website, your logo, your stationary and business cards, your advertisements, the music played in your business, etc all work together to create and maintain your BRAND.
71% of Americans view small businesses more favorably than any other institution in America because they are seen as a positive influence on our country. Why do people like Small Business so much?
1. Their services and products are often unique and their customers are very defined.
2. Small Businesses are also often regarded as being involved with their local communities and give back.
3. Small Businesses are agile and can change with the times quicker and adapt to the changing economy and customers needs faster than large businesses.
9/19/13 #SMALLBIZTALK show tips: Great overall resource, visit SBA.Gov for help and guidance for all small business questions. A Small Business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Government determines small based on industry, sales, etc. Small Business Administration stats show 1/3 of all new businesses fail in first 2 years due to lack of funds, lack of planning, growing too fast and competition. Prevent failure by the following steps: Be clear on why you want to start a business, determine your type of business (ie: manufacturing or service), research and write a Business Plan, determine who your customers are, set in place financing, sales and marketing – get your customers. Tweet Jennifer with your Small Business questions @StLouisClosetCo #SMALLBIZTALK or email her at jennifer@StLouisClosetCo.com
