Fun Friday Quizzes: Facebook and the art of going viral
If you’ve ever wondered how on earth you can make one of your Facebook or Twitter posts go viral then read on. For sure, there’s an awful lot of luck involved, but there are ways in which you can...
View ArticleBrands are incredibly powerful
Consider the Pepsi Challenge. According to a series of blind taste-tests, Pepsi is more popular than Coca-Cola. Despite this, Coca-Cola always proves more popular than Pepsi when people are asked to...
View ArticleWhat’s in a name? Tips for naming your new business
Naming your business can be both stressful and fun. If you like being creative then finding just the right name for your business is part of the exciting process of starting up. On the other hand if...
View ArticleCool hunter? Meet the new eBay Collections!
If you’re a fan of Pinterest then you’ll be pleased to discover that eBay is revamping its UK website so that it includes a range of new features that will compete with other websites such as Pinterest...
View ArticleThe novelty of Secret Santa
With the festive season virtually upon us (what do you mean you hadn’t noticed?) even the most reluctant of retailers will be turning their attention to Christmas stock and I guess the 1st October is...
View ArticleAdvertising on the cheap
When you’re starting up your small business – in fact even if you have been going for a while – you may find it difficult to make people aware of who you are, what you do, what you sell or … Continue...
View ArticleSelling on Facebook for Beginners: Part 1
Selling on Facebook? Hmmm. I have to confess that I haven’t done it. I’ve spent the past hour trying to find out how to open a shop and failing miserably – it doesn’t appear to be intuitive. I went to...
View ArticleSelling on Facebook for Beginners Part 2: Facebook Advertising
In our last blog we looked at Facebook advertising and setting up your presence online using a Facebook page. If you regularly use the Facebook page you created and engage with people you will...
View ArticlePlanning your week? Best days to buy and sell
Another weekend has disappeared in a puff of smoke. I failed miserably to list some things on eBay that I wanted to, although I did go online to buy myself a new raincoat after mine fell apart during a...
View ArticleFive eBay Auctions that went viral
Have you ever wondered just how to ensure that your eBay auctions attract a great deal of interest? Perhaps you can take a look at these five auctions that went viral and get some tips on how to write...
View ArticleVAT! Value added …. thoughts
I’m feeling a little philosophical this morning and I’ve seen two quotes on my Facebook feed that I really like. The first was written by a freelance designer who said ‘the more I charge you, the more...
View ArticleLife’s a Pitch
As an entrepreneur you are almost certainly going to need to make a pitch on occasion. It is a really useful skill to have if you are in the business of selling services and products, or if you ever...
View ArticleDiversifying your stock offer
In these difficult economic times, running a small business can be extremely hard work. In spite of news items suggesting that online retail sales have rocketed (Retail Gazette for example, reports...
View ArticleWhy do small businesses fail?
A friend of mine is just opening a new shop in East Devon. It’s a massive gamble for her and her partner and while she is hugely excited she is also very concerned. She has been picking my brains about...
View ArticleBuild a Brand on a Budget, Not a Budget Brand
If you are looking for ways to build your public profile you may be wondering how to do that when you don’t actually have much in the way of cash to spare. Marketing has become a complex beast over the...
View ArticleTwenty Tips to Turn the Tables on Telemarketers
I spent a major part of yesterday’s business time on the phone. When I’m at work I want to be doing things that benefit my company and myself. I don’t want to be warding off money grabbing...
View ArticleWhat lessons can we learn from Ryanair this week?
So, according to various news sources (see BBC for example), Ryanair is going to shake up its customer service. Quite frankly I’m surprised it has taken this long. I’ve always been surprised that an...
View ArticleIn for a penny, in for a pound: the rise and rise of the Pound shop
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine the other day who owns a sweet seaside gift shop that sells a wide range of mid-priced gifts. She mentioned that without the cheaper pound shop lines...
View ArticleGiving something back: raising the profile of your business through good works
For many people who are working in small businesses the idea of ‘giving back’ or working with ‘corporate social responsibility’ as large businesses call it, is something that comes perfectly naturally....
View ArticleBuild a bonfire, build a bonfire: discounting items for sale on eBay, the...
So that might be the longest title I have ever used in this blog but I wanted somehow to get a link in to bonfire night given that it’s November the 5th, however tenuous it might be. But in my mind the...
View ArticleDo your products have the X Factor or don’t they twerk?
I was watching Miley Cyrus on The X Factor (do you say it the way I do in *that* announcer voice? The X Fac-tor!?) and I was wondering how someone with so little talent can actually make it to my TV...
View ArticleWorth every penny! 6 products that unexpectedly went viral
It was drawn to my attention this week, that media coverage of certain items can pique interest and ensure that prices rise. You have to be on your toes to catch the wave, blink and you’ve missed it....
View ArticleLinkedIn for SME’s: Useful or not?
It was announced yesterday (13/06.2016) that Microsoft is to purchase LinkedIn, the professional networking website, for $26bn (£18bn), which equates to $196 a share. That’s a lot of money. Apparently...
View ArticleWhat’s being sold in Rio? The Olympics 2016
To be fair, I haven’t managed to catch a huge amount of the Olympics yet: a) because there hasn’t been much on so far (it’s the first Sunday as I write this) and b) because I fell asleep in front of...
View ArticleCan social media make or break your business?
This week I thought I’d have a quick look at good use of social media and ask, ‘can social media make or break your business?’ I was intrigued to see the furore caused yesterday, 16th April 2018, when...
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