Small Business Boomers

In my previous posts about bed and breakfasts as baby boomer businesses, I talked about what it takes to start a B&B. To be successful in this business, like any other, you must market. It’s not enough to have a “better mousetrap.” You must figure out how to let people know your mousetrap exists.
For Bed and Breakfasts, marketing means having a web site. Take a look at the Olde World B&B site for a minute. Notice:

The use of photos. Many photos are presented at the top to immediately give the viewer a sense …read more

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My husband has a pension coming to him.  I don’t.  I have some 403b/IRA money in place, but I’m concerned that I will outlive it.  So I have spent some time studying annuities, talking to people about a variable annuity that I “can’t outlive.”
I get two kinds of advice:
A.  They’re great. You should put all your money in one.  This, of course, if from the “financial advisor” who sells annuities.
B.  They’re awful.  No sane person would touch them.  This is a lot of people, including MarketWatch commentator Paul Farrell, who recently bashed annuities.  If you read his article, you would …read more

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Here is an interesting business story.   http://franchisetimes.com/content/story.php?article=00490   And, a cautionary tale for business people.   Who got hurt and why?
If you went to this story and read it, what did you think of the original blogger and those who posted negative comments about Cuppy’s?  Did they check their facts or shoot off their metaphorical mouths?  Did they have an ax to grind? 
What do you think of the people who read these negative comments?  Did they check their facts or just assume that the bloggers did?  Did they appear to be people you would want to do business with?
Do the blogging sites …read more

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Today I hooked up with a friend of mine who runs a virtual company.  They used to be a real company, but for the past year they have become a virtual company.  They may be actually be more virtual than most.  Not only don’t they have any outside office, bu they don’t offer fringes and don’t require you to work any set hours.   All their relationships are sub-contractor to sub-contractor.
They sub-contract out their accounting.   Most of their billing is done by company credit card.  Even their accounts payable is handle by a clearing house.  Sales and customer services are handled on a …read more

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Nothing is free, but this is cool.  IKEA, you know them – functional furniture you put together yourself, has a contest for small businesse communities.  Of course this presupposes that you have a small business and a community to work with. 
You can win new office furniture for your business and the businesses of those around you.  You will have to compete.  Nothing worthwhile is free.  You will have to devote time and energy to the contest, but it has some very interesting elements that will help you beyond new furniture.
Besides the obvious, IKEA’s desire to sell office furniture, there is a positive …read more

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My daughter is looking for a job as she finishes up a Master’s program which has put me in a mindset of job hunting.  It’s my usual mindset because I’ve been in sales most of working life.  Everyone should realize that they are employed “at will.”  Read those words to mean at the will of management, the market place, your health, your family and the vagaries of bad weather.  We are all just consultants whose gig could end today.  Because I am always prepared to sell myself again I like to stay up on current trends in the job market.
My …read more

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As all boomers know “The times they are a changin’”.  What with all the troubles in the sub-prime mortgage market it looks as if the housing slump looks like it will go through this year.  Not good.  A prolonged slump in the residential housing sector will cause a slump in the general economy.  May be a recession is coming up.New house means new appliances wrapped in the mortgage and such.  Slower house sales, used or new, and the appliance manufacturers take a hit.  Same thing happens in the furniture sector.  Because there is lower demand to transport appliances and furniture then the …read more

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http://www.linkedin.com/home This is the link for “Linked In” which appears to be your personal networking site.  My son sent this to me and though I haven’t gotten into every nook and cranney it appears to be very cool.  Take a look.  Tell what you think.

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The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee is holding a one day conference on boomers and work.  The web site is www.sce-boomer.uwm.edu .  This get together is the second in the past year by UWM on this same topic.  The thing I find interesting is that it’s being put on by their Center for Workforce Development which in the past has been about the “economically disadvantaged” that are under educated, under employed and unemployed.  I guess looking at boomers the conference subject isn’t that big a stretch.
I’m wondering if there are more programs like this springing up around the US or any other place for …read more

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Most of the articles you see are about "the entrepreneur", the lone wolf, the sole proprietor.  In truth most small businesses are a collaboration of several people.  No one can do it all.  No one has all the good ideas.  Someone has to be the backup when another can’t be in place to do their job.
A team spreads the risk and the rewards.  A team can do more work than an individual.  A team can be more innovative than a single individual.  For boomers a team means more time flexibility.  In a one person show that person never, never goes …read more

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