Small Business Boomers

The news about companies cutting back is all over the news.  Many companies are “downsizing” and letting “attrition” reduce their workforces. I like the euphemism “attrition” (sounds like the British “being made redundant.” ).  Attrition means – “Let’s get the Baby Boomers to retire early so we can hire new, cheaper employees when things pick up again.”
If this is you, maybe you are looking for a new job.  I have written before about the many online sites for baby boomers seeking jobs.
Here is another source of job information: Two companies have teamed up to present a Virtual Job Fair.  VirtualCV …read more

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Jeff Thredgold has been an “economic futurist” for many years. He is an entertaining economist (sounds like an oxymoron) and a professional speaker and he spends his time writing and talking about economics. Sounds boring, but he’s not. He says he’s the only economist who is a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional). I talked with Jeff last week to ask him about the future of the market and how the current economic situation will affect baby boomers.
Jeff’s newsletter, The Tea Leaf, has lots of insights about the economic situation. He doesn’t give advice or tell you what to …read more

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In 1943, Tom Watson, legendary founder of IBM, was quoted as saying, “I think there is a world market for about five computers.”
Bill Gates also quoted as saying “640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
And in 1899 the Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office suggested that the patent office be closed, because, he said, “”Everything that can be invented – has already been invented”
So are you limiting your thinking by deciding that:
(1)You are too old to start a business?
(2) You are trapped in a job you hate but you figure you can’t retire?
(3) The market is down so …read more

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Since I’m into testimonials, I found someone who is an expert at writing them.  Holly Buchanan is a marketing professional and she graciously agreed to answer my questions: 
1.  What makes an effective testimonial?
Effective testimonials do 3 things: They are specific, they overcome objections, and they are properly placed.
#1 – They are specific.
Avoid vague or cliché testimonials like “I was very impressed with your service,” or “Great course. I loved it.”  These have little or no impact.   Look for testimonials that are more specific. “Tech support spoke to me in plain English and isolated the problem in 90 seconds.”  …read more

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I’m running a contest on my other blog – Home Biz Notes – and I wanted to let you know about it.  The prize is a Brother Color Inkjet “All in One” printer.  The winner will receive the printer directly from Brother.
Here is the link to the contest with details on how to win:   http://www.homebiznotes.com/home-office-brother-printer-contest-on-home-biz-notes/
You must comment on the HomeBizNotes post above in order to win the printer.  Comments on Small Business Boomers, while always appreciated, will not be counted in the random number selection process.
The printer is a Brother MFC-6490CW.  It prints in black/white and color, scans, copies, and …read more

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June Walker , tax expert and author of Self-Employed Tax Solutions, says in her newsletter that your primary reason for starting a small business should not be just for deducting expenses.  I agree.  She reminded me that there are a lot of scam artists out there who want to take your money for a list of “guaranteed” ways to deduct money and reduce your taxes to nothing.  This is like playing Russian roulette with all the cylinders loaded.  Your chances of scamming the IRS are slim to none.
Remember my post about starting a small business to achieve financial independence.  You …read more

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On MLK Day, we Baby Boomers stop and think about the past 40 years, and the Inauguration of Barak Obama tomorrow bring back memories of another man who delivered a famous speech in Washington, D.C.
It is fitting that tomorrow, Martin Luther King, III will deliver a speech in honor of President Obama.
From Doctor King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963, in which he said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of …read more

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A Nebraska boat show is seeing a big crowd of potential buyers. And sales of premium chocolate are continuing to rise.
I knew we couldn’t hold off – the habits of a lifetime are impossible to break. And our psychic makeup is such that we can’t stay down in Maslow’s lower level needs for very long.
We Boomers still crave our luxuries. And we’re convinced we are doing ourselves good eating chocolate, so why not indulge. Right? I did say a few months ago that chocolate is a “recession-proof” industry.
While the news about out 401(k)s isn’t good, many Baby …read more

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I have been talking about Testimonials: Why you need them and how to get them.  I also wrote yesterday about how the FTC wants to limit our use of testimonials. One kind of testimonial is more powerful than any other.  That’s the video testimonial.  If print and visual testimonials are powerful, video testimonials are even more so.
Here are a couple of examples:
Service Testimonial. First, watch these video testimonials for a photographer.  I loved how the photos shown tied in perfectly with what the people were saying about the photographer.  I was ready to sign up, and I don’t even …read more

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I wrote about the value of testimonials last week and since then I’ve found out that testimonials – at least some of them – may soon be illegal, if the FTC has its way.
Mark Riffey at Business is Personal writes that the FTC has something in the works to regulate testimonials.  In its 86 page report (I’d like to skip reading that thing), the FTC said it wants to stop the kind of testimonials that “do not describe typical consumer experiences.”  If you can’t get a testimonial from a “typical consumer,” the proposed regulations state, you must disclose “the results …read more

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