​The world is full of gurus who will tell you to set some goals, drive action, make it happen. And that’s good advice.
 
But just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
 
Launching a new product or service is not something you want to do because you had a wild idea one morning over coffee or in the shower. There’s a lot more that goes into the launching of that product or service. But research and development can be pricey.
 
What if you have a business idea you want to run with but don’t have the money to hire someone to crunch numbers and present data? Should you launch without it? If you do, that could prove to be even more costly.
 
So how can you test an idea without a huge investment?

​Productivity is always a big push at the beginning of the year. Everyone wants to do more with less, less money, less time, and fewer resources. This article will show you four ways to structure your day for greater success in achieving your goals. The one that best works for you is a personal decision but trying several of these can give you some good insights into how you (and your employees) work best.

​Who has time for a newsletter? If you want more sales and a more loyal audience, you need to find the time. The magic of newsletters is that they are a way to distribute your content on a regular basis straight to someone’s email inbox or phone. It creates a privileged communication when you do it correctly. But when done poorly, it can feel like a boring monologue of self-promotion.
 
If you don’t have a newsletter, it’s time to start building a list of emails and creating a newsletter. Whether you’ve been a longtime newsletter publisher or one just starting, here are a few ideas to spice it up.
 

​This year has been a little more difficult to figure out new year’s resolutions. Part of that is because we’re all still reeling from the “lessons” we learned in 2020. Even the best prepared businesses lacked preparation for a global pandemic. Still, the new year is a great time to reexamine what you’ve been doing and how it can get better. Here are a few ideas:

​If you spend any time speaking with copywriters or website writers, they will tell you a lot of businesses understand the importance of an effective About Us page on their website. As there’s been a lot of information written about telling your business story over the last decade and how customers want to do business with people they know, like and trust, many realize the value. You likely know that the About Page has the potential to become one of the most heavily visited pages on your website.
 
However, that’s where most businesses miss an opportunity.
 
They stop at the About Us page. Their business story never moves beyond it. But for the story to be believable, understood, and remembered—and thus effective—it has to spring off the About Us page and into these other places. 
 

On Monday, December 21, 2020, the Senate approved a massive emergency economic relief package, government funding, and tax cuts designed to counter the effects of the pandemic and stimulate economic growth. The legislation, introduced as a 5,593-page bill, was passed with a 92 to 6 vote following weeks of intense negotiations.
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Efforts to pass economic relief measures in the weeks leading to the presidential election had failed despite numerous attempts. But after the election, a bipartisan group of lawmakers teamed up and successfully negotiated for action to spur economic activity by helping businesses and consumers.

​As I write this, we are a week away from Christmas. And while it may feel like the holiday season has already been decided with everyone from the post office to mail-order businesses saying there's no way they can meet Christmas deadlines, now is the time that local small businesses can shine.
 
You have an advantage at this point over online stores because customers can come in and get a last-minute gift, service, or gift certificate. But you can’t just fling open your doors and let the world in. There are a couple of things you need to be doing to ensure that they feel safe. Still, It's not too late to implement these COVID precautions in your business. 

​This has certainly been a weird year. As we begin to adjust to our new reality, there are some things you could be doing in your business that may help you out in the post-COVID time. We can’t say it will ever be a return to normal. We’ve lost our innocence in some ways. Preparing for the worst in the past would never have (completely) readied us for this. But hopefully we’ve learned a thing or two to help us with future business.

​According to SmallBizTrends.com, “The first set of holiday data and analytics from Adobe reveals online spending is set to increase by 33% in 2020 over 2019.” It’s also likely that this trend will continue as we enter into 2021 and if the pandemic numbers keep increasing. People won’t stop shopping, but they may stop shopping in-person.
 
Online shopping needn’t be owned by large entities like Amazon or Etsy. Your business can excel in online commerce as well. But first, you need to be top-of-mind. One way to do that is to produce valuable content so that when potential customers are on your website, they are moved to action and purchase from you.
 
Online Necessities Before the Content
Before you create the content, work on a few things such as:

• Designing a user-friendly shopping experience and website
• Creating a design that is quick to load and mobile-friendly
• Implementing a review “machine” or protocol in which you make it easy for people to leave reviews
• Engaging your followers on social media
• Honing your voice and brand so that people know, like, and trust you

 
The last two will help with the content you produce but the content will also help engage your followers and solidify your brand.
 
Now let’s talk about the content you need to drive online sales.
 
Content That Drives Online Sales
The content we’re going to suggest creating should be posted on your website, shared on your social media platforms and through sponsored content on Facebook (and any other social media platform that you participate often on), and posted/linked to in your newsletter. Excellent content will do nothing to increase your online sales if people don’t know about it.

​The next couple of months will be telling ones. We’re not saying a lockdown is inevitable, but a lot of communities have spent the past week or so escalating their precautionary levels and this article will give you some advice for overcoming slower business times with a potential shelter in place order.