Ownership may feel chaotic at times, but small business timelines are somewhat predictable. When your small business hits a plateau and you start to wonder if success is further away than you thought, it’s important to keep things in perspective. It will help you to know the 3 common business hurdles and plateaus owners face along the way and when

It’s very likely that your business is active on social media already, but are you using Facebook ads yet? Wondering how to use Facebook ads to promote your business? The major social network offers a great, cost-effective, and simple way to reach your target audience using ads that are shown to people you target. But Facebook ads are a finicky

Did you realize your social media is really important in the business world? It’s not as important which platform you use, but it’s really important that you make yourself known somewhere. It’s ideal to join multiple sites but the top choices include Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you’re not sure where to start, consider turning to a virtual

Failure is inevitable, although it never feels that way when you’re riding the wave of success. Everyone, even the most successful business owners and magnates the world has seen, experiences failure. We wrestle with it. Failure isn’t easy for people who strive to be the best. But failure teaches some pretty valuable lessons to business owners, and it’s the best

Human beings are complex. When we don’t feel like we deserve or can entirely handle the responsibility that comes with reaching any level of success, we panic. We feel like frauds who have somehow managed to sneak past security and fool everyone into thinking we belong there. We feel unsure of our professional abilities and skill level. There’s a name

When a customer with an appointment calls to cancel, they can either be met with a friendly response or a passive-aggressive response. It’s not in your business’ best interest to try and “guilt-trip” customers who need to cancel appointments; instead, your appointment policy should reflect the cutoff time for cancellations and note any fees or charges that may apply after

Rural tourism is becoming one of the most lucrative and viable business ideas for small towns and rural areas. But how does one make money in an area that doesn’t support much economic activity? The very principles of rural tourism are the same things driving its success in small towns across America (and globally). If rural tourism is just getting

Ending a call politely should always be your goal, whether it’s a routine call, a long winded caller on the other line or an upset customer who is becoming aggressive. Ending a call politely is easy enough when it’s a routine call – once the matter is resolved, a simple “Is there anything else I can assist you with today?”

Throughout life, our confidence waxes and wanes. In certain areas where we feel we are doing well, it’s easy to feel confident. But in areas where we don’t have as much consistent success, feeling confident is harder. If you want to grow your confidence as a business owner, consistency is what you should strive for. You can’t turn yourself or

Q: What’s the difference between a virtual receptionist and a call center agent? A: Typically, a call center agent or call answering service is known solely for taking phone calls and delivering messages. A virtual receptionist, on the other hand, acts like an in-office receptionist, just from a remote location. This means they handle incoming phone calls, appointments and bookings,