​Have you noticed these days that everyone seems to have a course or at least a YouTube video on how they do what they do? Teaching has become a secondary (and sometimes primary) revenue stream for the small business professional. Marketers, eBay sellers, and even real estate agents are turning how-to instruction into a new business.
 
Sure, it can enhance your brand, generate additional revenue, and establish you as an authority in your field. But it’s not always the answer for every business.
 
Before jumping into becoming an online guru in your industry, it's important to weigh the benefits and challenges to instructional content creation. Here’s a guide to help you decide whether going that route is the right step for your business.

​Trust is the cornerstone of customer relationships, driving sales and fostering loyalty. Yet, building that trust swiftly, especially in a competitive landscape filled with countless options for consumers, can be hard. Establishing credibility and rapport takes time and effort. (It’s the one thing you can’t buy at Costco.) But strategic actions can accelerate trust building. By focusing on transparency, communication, and consistently exceeding expectations, you can cultivate trust quickly and effectively. If you want to build trust with current and potential customers, check out these important values.

​Concern over the holiday shopping season is one that's looming large on most business owners’ minds.  Will it be a good one? Can it be so good that it makes up for a disappointing spring and summer? If you're concerned about these things, you're not alone. And there are things you can do to make your business sales this holiday season better, even if you don’t have a lot of time.

​There's been a lot of information about the need to pivot during COVID-19. Many businesses have switched what they produced or altered their services to fit the new demands of their audience. But sometimes it's not your business that needs to pivot. it might be something you've been thinking about doing professionally.
 
If you want to switch industries and you have little to no experience, here are some tips that can help you pivot professionally.
 

​We thought the hardest thing we'd have to deal with this summer would be COVID-19 but now business owners are facing another heart-wrenching situation--how do they react in the face of protests? 

​Have you ever noticed that there are influencers on social media who mention an item and no sooner than they do it sells out? The cynical side of me believes there are certain people out there who could talk about how chic dust bunnies are and suddenly there'd be a host of people growing their own dust bunnies like they were chia pets.
 
But it takes a special personality, doesn't it?
 

If your business is shut down or you're just looking for new streams of revenue, a popular idea is course creation. This could be a course that showcases your knowledge on a subject, a course that is designed to complement whatever it is you sell, or a way to make money that does not involve an exchange of time for money. If you are someone who sells an hourly service, there are only so many hours of the day that you can bill for virus or not. But if you create a course you can bring in money even when you're not actively performing the service in which you get paid for.
 
Technology being what it is, courses are easier than ever to create but expectations are higher as well. So, it's important you do a few things as part of your course creation prep. This article is laid out to help you ask the right questions before you begin preparing your course.

​Be honest. Do you love or hate video conferencing?
 
There's nothing more awkward than dialing in to a conference call only to find out it's a video conference call and you haven't showered since the weekend. 

​If you have had time to look in your email inbox recently, it's likely cluttered with messages from big brands telling you what they’re doing as we're facing the global pandemic of COVID-19. The point behind these communications is to quell fear and reassure people that it’s safe to patronize these businesses.