Family businesses operated from home take on many aspects.  This is a fun story about the Christiansen family in Utah, who have developed a web site with instructions on how to tie a tie along with ties you can purchase.
This story, at PowerHomeBiz.com, A Real Family Home Business:  Utah Family With Knot Problems Creates a Website All about Neckties and How to Tie Them.  The Christiansens, with five boys who needed to know how to tie their ties, developed this business to help instruct others with the same challenge.  From there, the business evolved.
This goes along with the old saying, “Find …read more

We’ve often talked about setting up a business plan for starting your home business.  However, you also need a marketing plan.  If you’re in a business, then that assumes you need customers or clients.  You need someone to purchase your products and/or services.
Over at Startup Spark, Steve discusses this topic, Writing a Marketing Plan – Series Overview.  This series addresses large and small businesses, those with employees and without, so gather ideas from it for your business and see what you can accomplish in refining the marketing plan you already have…or start a definite one if you haven’t considered this …read more

Ron Elizondo, blogger at Brand Curve, brings up a good point in his post about Customers/Clients vs. Consumers and asks whether the business owner knows which one he’s marketing to, and thus developing advertising for.
His distinction between the two is to be considered when you’re deciding whom you’re serving.  Ron defines a Client/Customer as “someone who pays for goods or services” and the Consumer as “a person who uses goods or services.” 
You may want to learn more from Ron about whom you’re sending your message to and whether your advertising will be effective.

This Week in the Business Channel features favorite posts from various b5media bloggers.  There’s a wide array of business advice that you’ll find of interest.
The post from Home Biz Notes  advises you to listen to your customers when deciding how to please them and increase sales.  There are various ways you can learn what customers are looking for.

I discovered an excellent article at Suzanne Falter-Barns’ Get Known Now web site about how to micro-niche your business for more effective marketing.  Suzanne explains what this type of marketing is and why it’s so important for your business.
She gives you specific tips on how to really know your potential customers rather than simply categorizing them in general terms, such as age group, gender, where they live, occupation, etc.  In order to best reach customers/clients, you should get even more specific in their needs, likes and dislikes and what they do.  
Another article by Suzanne gives you additional information about the power of micro marketing, an area that’s achieving importance …read more