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Home » Austin's Big Ideas

In “Big Box” Retailer World, Indie Store Operators Stand Strong

March 13, 2015 By Austin Hill Leave a Comment

This month’s “Independent Retailer Conference” is now past tense, but the movement that is “indie store retailing” carries on.

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Brady Kimball at ASD Market Week

Just prior to the launch of the March 1-4 conference, Brady Kimball, Marketing Manager at ASD Market Week, joined me on an episode of “AustinHill’s BigWorld of SMallBusiness” to talk about the setup for the conference and the expectations surrounding the event.

Listen to Brady Kimball on the BigWorld of SMallBusiness

https://austinsbigworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/AH-Bigworld-Seg-Brady-Kimball-retailers-conference.mp3

She also worked-in some thoughts about forthcoming conferences during our discussion.

Visit the Independent Retailer Conference website HERE.

Filed Under: Austin's Big Ideas, Business Tagged With: Brady, Brady Kimball, Independent Retailer Conference

Austin’s Big Ideas On Business Plans

September 16, 2013 By Austin Hill Leave a Comment

Austin's-big-ideas-on-business-plans

You’ve got a dream of owning and operating your own small business.

And you’ve got an idea for a small business that you think will “work.”Great new business ventures – new products, new services, new companies– begin with an idea and a dream.  But it is a process to get your small business from the “idea” and “dream” phase, to the “it’s actually happening” phase.

The writing of a business plan that is both concise, and thorough, will help guide you through this process and will help you attract the right kinds of prospective partners. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Austin's Big Ideas Tagged With: Business Plans

Austin’s Big Ideas on Small Business Financing

September 16, 2013 By Austin Hill Leave a Comment

small-business-financing

So you’ve decided to take the plunge!  You’re going to start a small business, a type of small business that will involve some start-up costs.

Oh, and you don’t have all the money you’ll need to get started.

Unless you’re independently wealthy and you’ve got a lot of “extra” cash,  or you’re willing to spend your personal savings and put some or all your retirement funds at risk (which is usually not a wise idea),  you’re probably going to need to get some financial help with your small business.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Austin's Big Ideas Tagged With: Financing, Small Business

How To Get Free Media Coverage For Your Business

September 16, 2013 By Austin Hill Leave a Comment

With A Megaphone By A WallIt’s rare when I suggest that those of us in the world of small business ownership should emulate what happens in the world of politics.

But this is one of those rare moments.

I’m usually inclined to say that if politicians and governmental policy makers would act more like business people, our country would be a much better place. At the very least, our federal, state, and local governments would be much more “fiscally sound.”

That said, I also know this to be true – if you aren’t up-to-speed on the ways in which politicians and political campaigns approach the subject of “media coverage,” you could be missing out on some potentially big opportunities to move yourself and your business forward.  And given how “media centric” our world has become, you can’t afford to fall behind in this area. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Austin's Big Ideas Tagged With: Media Coverage

Independent Contractor Work

September 16, 2013 By Austin Hill Leave a Comment

independent-contractor-work

Finding work, even if you can’t find a “job” – is that really possible? If you’ve done a job search anytime recently, you know all too well that hiring isn’t happening at a very rapid pace. Yet, look at the earnings reports from many of America’s largest corporations over the past two years or so, many of these companies have consistently posted very solid profits. This means that even though there isn’t a lot of new hiring, business is still getting done; products and services are still being bought and sold.

So, how is all this work getting done, without new employees being hired?  There’s no doubt that existing staffers at American businesses are, by necessity, working harder than they have before. But businesses are also increasingly utilizing the services of independent contract workers, rather than hiring new employees. And there is opportunity available for those of us who learn how to work independently.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Austin's Big Ideas Tagged With: Independent Contractor

Austin’s Tips On Your Resume’…

September 16, 2013 By Austin Hill Leave a Comment

Austin's-Tips-On-Your-Resumejpg

Having a “fresh,” updated resume’ is almost always a good idea, especially in our current economic environment.

If you’re looking for a “job” – a position of employment in somebody else’s company – then your need for a current and effective resume’ is obvious.  But even if you’re seeking to work as an independent contractor, and sell your skills and services on a per-project basis, taking the time to craft a succinct resume’ will be helpful.You may not need to submit the full resume’ to a prospective client when you bid for contract work, but going through the exercise of writing your resume’, and then having it available to reference when you submit bids on projects, will help keep you focused on what it is you’re looking for, and what it is you have to offer clients.Keep these important steps in mind, as you craft your resume’:

1) Know your audience – Where are you sending your resume’?  What kinds of company (or companies) are you submitting it to?  Who is likely to read it? If you’re planning to send a resume’ to more than one company and pursue more than one specific position (which is usually the case for most people), then start thinking now about how each submission will be different.  Just having “a resume’” written is typically not sufficient in today’s marketplace.  Start thinking now about the uniqueness of each company and each position for which you are applying, and then consider which portions of your background and experience fit the position – and which portions do not.

2) First Things First – One thing you can safely assume about anybody who reads your resume’ is that they’ll probably be pressed for time.  In today’s environment, most of us have too much to do, and not enough time in which to do it. So make your resume a quick and easy read.  Put your name and contact information right at the top and center. Then beneath your name and contact information, provide a heading with a brief statement of your educational background, and then another heading below this with a statement of your work interests and pursuits.  A streamlined and straightforward introduction of who you are, and what you want, will help convince your audience that reading your resume’ all the way through will NOT be a waste of time.

3) Customize! – We all live and work in a culture that is saturated with lots of consumer choices, which means lots of highly customized information and media content. For example, If you like music, you can download your favorites and listen to them whenever I want.  Similarly, if you want sports information, you don’t have to wait for the “sports report” in a newscast – you can log-on and get the sports you want, right now.

With all the customized and instantly relevant information that is at our finger tips, our collective “attention span” has become more brief, and we can all have a tendency to ignore information that doesn’t appear to be immediately significant in the moment. And while you can’t know the precise personal preferences of each person who will read your resume’, you can nonetheless make great strides in eliminating annoyances and “tune out” factors by customizing your resume; according to the position and line of work you’re pursuing. You might not need a separate resume’ for each company that you submit to (and there is nothing that says you can’t do that), but at the very least you’ll want to have a separate resume’ for each category of work that you pursue.

For example, if you have a background in car sales and you’re pursuing another position in that field, than you’ll probably want to include some industry-specific information – perhaps some statistics on your participation in special product promotions, company awards you’ve achieved, and so forth.  On the other hand, if you’re applying for a position in the world of pharmaceutical sales with a background in car sales, then the auto industry-specific information could be an annoyance.  The pharmaceutical company will find your “volume of sales” information to be relevant, but they probably won’t care that you achieved those numbers by being the top quarterly seller in America of the 2010 Lexus IS.  Customize your content – and give the reader information that is relevant to them.

4) Avoid “TMI” – It can “kill” a good social situation, and “too much information” can be lethal on a resume’, too.  You might think it’s really cool that you’ve been working steadily in your chosen career field since 1981, or that you’ve consistently moved up to better positions, one after another.  But your reader might not be interested to know all those details –  in a fast-paced and high-pressure marketplace, readers of your resume’ are probably more inclined to be asking “what have you done lately?” rather than “where were you twenty years ago?”  Again, try your best to discern what each likely reader might want to see, and then give them what they want and need.  And remember that in the “employment history” section of your resume’, there’s nothing wrong with noting that you’re providing a “partial list” of information, and then noting that “more details are available upon request.”

5) Brevity! – Think of your resume’ as a first introduction, and a job interview as a “first date.”  When meeting somebody for the first time, you neither want nor need to tell them everything about you. In most cases, you want your resume’ to convey essential information that will get the reader interested enough to schedule an interview, and then, just like a “first date,” you want to make a good first impression so as to get “asked out” again.  So limit your resume to no more than two pages of content – so it all fits on each side of one hardcopy page – and keep your remarks brief and concise.  If the reader wants more information, they’ll ask for it.

Filed Under: Austin's Big Ideas Tagged With: Resume Tips

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