Today I’m writing issue #4 of my blog series based on the 2011 edition of the Top Ten Small Business Trends from Small Business Labs. I’m analysing these trends as they apply to entrepreneurs whose companies are whale hunters. Trend #4: Alternative Financing. “While the improving economy is leading to increased small business access to financing from banks […]
Today I’m pleased to feature a guest post from Chris Conrey. Chris Conrey is a professional salesman with a passion for technology. Between client calls you’ll find him writing, reading, or thinking about sales and technology. Read more from Chris on his blog, Conrey is for Closers. You’ve been successful in sales before, why change? […]
Today’s post is issue #3 of my blog series based on the 2011 edition of the Top Ten Small Business Trends from Small Business Labs. I’m analysing these trends as they apply to entrepreneurs whose companies are whale hunters. Trend #3: “Small Firms Reinvent U.S. Manufacturing: The recovering economy and 4 key trends are driving the growth of small and […]
Hi there! I’m starting a new blog feature today that I call “The Sunday Show.” Each Sunday I’ll post a podcast with a Whale Hunting concept or tool to help you in the week ahead. I know that many of us use some time on Sunday evening to get your thoughts and to-do lists organized […]
It’s a new year. Of course. But I think this is a special kind of new year, one in which the lousy economy of the past three is finally going to come back strong for small business owners and their teams. [more about that in Thursday’s post] My question to you is this: is your brand promise […]
This is issue #2 of my blog series based on the 2011 edition of the Top Ten Small Business Trends from Small Business Labs. I’m analysing these trends as they apply to entrepreneurs whose companies are whale hunters. Today we look at Trend #2: Variable Cost Business Models. The authors write “More small businesses will shift from fixed cost […]
The 2011 edition of the Top Ten Small Business Trends from Small Business Labs is a must-read for small business owners. Several of the trends will surprise you, and understanding all of them will position you for greater success. In the coming days, I’m going to look at these trends one by one and suggest what […]
2011 will be a year for change–positive, forward-looking change, not reactive, fearful change. Is your brand ready for the new year? Many companies had to violate their brand promise in order to survive the recession. I’ll give you some examples: “We design and build custom homes starting at $3 million for discriminating buyers” but right now we’ll […]
This is the time of year when prognosticators are predicting what will be nouveau and cool, or nouveau and harsh, in 2011. While I have some predictions of my own, I would rather write about what I know won’t change next year. The Whale Hunters promotes a business development strategy focused on continually increasing the size […]
Seth’s Blog really came home to me this morning. I read Seth Godin’s blog almost every day because I always learn something new that is both useful and thought-provoking. Very little business advice consistently meets both of these standards that I attribute to Seth. This morning I read his post “The Answer is Simple”. In two […]
In July, 2010, The Washington Post released a report called Top Secret America, an elaborate investigative piece about American companies that do Top Secret business with the government and the government agencies that employ them. If your Target Filter includes companies that have federal government contracts, this is an excellent report for you. Reporters Dana Priest […]
The National Bureau of Economic Research marked June 2009 as the end of the recession that began in December 2007, and the beginning of an expansion. The recession lasted 18 months, which makes it the longest of any recession since World War II. And for small business owners and their key employees, it’s been a […]