In our modern times of “dot coms” and companies that come and go, it’s often easy to overlook businesses who have a long track record and have yet to go belly up in the uncertain economy.
While a lot goes into the success of a company, let alone one that’s been around for over a hundred years, there are some specific examples we, as small business owners, can learn from each one of them.
On my morning rounds I noticed this item, at The Atlantic, called Tesla’s Letterhead Is So Much Better Than Edison’s and I can’t help but ask just what “better” means?
I’m always surprised to hear businesspeople and professionals say, “I don’t need a web presence”. This attitude is short sighted for a lot of reasons, but its biggest problem may lie in one simple fact: whether they know it or not they already have a web presence. All businesses do.
The last form of do-it-yourself website I’d like to discuss is the “free website builder tool” sort of thing often offered by cut-rate webhosting companies, advertising packages, and assorted other services. This may be the worst of the lot.
The latest do-it-yourself website craze is the idea that a Facebook fan page can take the place of a website. We’re told that Facebook will, for all intents and purposes, take over the internet and, of course, no one can afford to be left behind in the rush. Besides, setting up a fan page is free and you can do it yourself. Frankly, this is nonsense.
Websites are showing up all over cyberspace, offering free website templates and promising you,…..well, promising you a free website template. That’s pretty much it. The question of what you’re supposed to do with it is left open. You’d better be ready to answer it yourself before clicking “download now”, and be ready to answer a few more questions, as well.
There’s an old proverb which says; “A man who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client.” There’s a grain of truth in that, not just for legal matters, but for any undertaking what requires specialized skills, from rewiring your office and repairing your delivery van to, yes, designing and building your business website. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but is it worth the effort and risk?
If you’ve done any online shopping yourself you’re probably well aware of coupon codes. These are codes that can get you spiffy discounts on whatever you’re purchasing. A simple internet search for the site you’re purchasing from can usually result in a number of listings of sites where people post these codes for others to use. If you run an ecommerce site and you’re unaware of this, then you’ve got a little catching up to do.
