Getting caught up with growing your business can become all consuming.   Obsessing about your business and forgetting about your life is a common hazard to avoid.   Sooner or later, you’re bound to face a burnout phase when your mind and/or body says “enough’s enough”.

As pointed out in the Entrepreneur.com article “How To Avoid Occupational Burnout“, interests outside of your business are ideal.   Taking time out of your busy day for yourself can help you clear your mind and reduce your stress levels.   For myself, I like to take an hour around 11am to get my exercise time in.  …

Starting a business with a friend or member of your family isn’t always the best choice.   I’ve asked for your opinions on such topics as “Do Family Members Make Good Employees?” and “Would Your Parent Make An Ideal Employee?”.   Now, I have one last thought to get your opinion on.   Would you start a small business with your spouse or significant other?

I don’t know about you, but I could never work with my husband, let alone run a business together.   We both have very different opinions and a bit of a stubborn streak that would not blend well if we worked side by side.  …

We all know that when things just start to go smoothly, it usually doesn’t last very  long.   Personal emergencies with yourself or family members can pop up out of nowhere.   Given the choice, of course you have to tend to the crisis first.   But where does that leave your business?   Who will take over where you leave off?   What happens if you can’t attend to your small business for days on end?

Bonnie Price, a contributor to WomenEntrepreneur.com, suggests keeping an up to date binder with all of your small business’ critical information.   Bonnie provides a helpful list, of information your binder should contain, in  her article “Keep Your Business Humming Amid A Personal Crisis“.  …

So, you have a small business and you’re trying to build your brand from the ground up.   What  steps can you take to  establish your own well known brand with limited funds?   SEOBook.com has published a list of 11 ideas and resources for building your brand.  

The article mentions  reputation as  one of the ways to  strenghthen your brand.   Reputation is one of those things that can  make or break your business.   At the beginning of your journey, it  is so important to keep an untarnished reputation in order to grow your company.   It’s impossible to ask consumers to  put faith in your unfamiliar brand when you have a less than perfect  track record.…

I often come across successful small businesses and wonder how on earth they came up with their ideas.   Some of these small businesses start from the most unusual  circumstances.   Take this article,  written by Justin Petruccelli on Entrepreneur.com, for instance, “They’ve Got Baggage“.   This article is written about  Doyle Evans who  in  1970 started selling contents of unclaimed baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama.   The business quickly grew into a 40,000 square foot building which currently  attracts more than a million tourists to the small town yearly.

Is any business idea too crazy?    I think this success story reminds us that even an idea that seems unlikely, is possible.  …