I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but running a small business is hard. It’s no piece of cake. There are many obstacles that must be overcome, and one of the most difficult challenges to figure out, especially for the novice entrepreneur, is how to get clients. Without a doubt, it’s one my students most often asked questions. Every …
Your Report Can Do It All
Note: This post is the second of a two-part article. Click here to read part one. There are many things to consider when running a professional home inspection business. Often, the number of things that must be taken into account can be overwhelming, especially for inspectors that are new to the business. As we’re all operating on a limited time …
One (Double) Report to Rule them All
Real estate agents. Certified Public Accountants. Attorneys. Personal Trainers. What do all these professions have in common, you might ask? Each one of them is in a service-based business, just like a professional home inspector. None of these people are selling you a physical product; they’re selling you their services. Most of us have probably not even stopped to think …
Enough To Go Around
It seems that no matter what type of business we’re in, there are going to be many different points of view on how to run that business. Some people are generous and believe that there’s enough customers out there to sustain everyone that’s willing to put serious effort into their business. Most people, unfortunately, operate under the belief that everything …
Guidelines for Dating Your Clients
Before we begin, let me explain that, no, this post is not about how to get dates with your clients. Unless you are running some sort of escort agency, for the vast majority of business owners, dating your clients is always a bad idea. In this post we will examine the similarities between how we learned the ropes when we …
Turning Them Around. Making Sure Your Clients Sing Your Praises
One of the most difficult things about running a business is dealing with clients. An often-heard complaint is that “this would be a great job if it wasn’t for all of these damn clients!” And yes, I know that our customers are the whole reason that we are in business, but (sometimes) dealing with them can cause a business owner …
Embracing the Challenge of Constant Marketing (part 2)
Note: This post is the second of a two-part article. Click here to read part one. I hope that everyone is doing well and prospering in their business. In the second half of this article, I wanted to expand on the idea of Constant Marketing, and the fact that every move you make has an effect on your business. In part …
Embracing the Challenge of Constant Marketing (part 1)
Depending on how we choose to live, our life may be calm and even-keeled, with little variation in our daily routine, or it may be filled with challenges: new decisions and experiences popping up at every turn. One of the good things about living in an advanced country is that (typically) we get to choose the path we desire: calm …
Setting yourself up for success, and Avoiding Client Zero
I am going to start today’s post talking about the one subject that you don’t want to hear about: problem clients. Yes, I know: you already deal with problem clients enough in your business; you don’t want to read about them too! Let’s just pretend they don’t exist, and maybe they’ll magically go away… The reality is that we all deal …
Show the World That You’re a Star
Today we’re going to talk about marketing and it’s effect on our business. If we’re just starting out in the business world, trying to figure out marketing can be a daunting task. Even if we’ve already got an established brand, marketing can still cause us headaches and plenty of sleepless nights. It seems like everywhere we turn, there’s someone who’s …