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Feb29
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My husband met a man today who said it was his 25th birthday. It was actually his 100th birthday. 
He certainly had something special to celebrate. As he only has an official birthday every 4 years, he was just having some leap year fun. If he lived near a Papa John's Pizza outlet, he would have been eligible for a free leap year birthday pizza. Papa John's are one of the many businesses turning this once in every four years event into a marketing opportunity. With 200 000 people in the US alone celebrating their birthdays on February 29th, there is plenty of room to run with a special promotion. Imagine the numbers internationally. The Detroit Zoo is offering reduced admission prices. Some hotels are offering 29% discount for February 29th bookings. Mary Emma Allen talks about going "green" for leap year. What other innovative ideas have you come across to celebrate leap year?
Inevitably, the leap year phenomenon gets plenty of press, so an added innovative marketing push at this time is bound to raise your business profile. - What does your business do to get a marketing edge related to leap year?
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Feb28
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www.SmallBizMentor.com Franchises offer a ready made business structure and model. This suits many people, both experienced business owners and those starting their first business.A franchise may suit those who are happy to follow the guidelines and are happy to pay...
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Feb27
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www.SmallBizMentor.comWhile researching for a post on Starbucks' recent store closures in the US to enable staff training, I came across their company website.What interested me is the tone of the press releases. They are written as letters to Starbucks partners...
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www.SmallBizMentor.comStarbucks closed down its US company owned stores for 3 hours to retrain 135,000 baristas.From the Starbucks website - Starbucks is conducting an unprecedented in-store education and training event for more than 135,000 partners (employees) in U.S. company-operated stores. As part...
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Feb25
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www.SmallBizMentor.comMaria Palma, blogger extraordinaire at Customers Are Always has tagged me for a Four by Four meme. The idea is I share a little more about myself...just in case you were curious. Four (Well Actually Five) Jobs I’ve Had 1....
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Feb24
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We're familiar with road rage, but an increasingly common phenomenon is shop rage - consumer rage of the verbal and physical kind. Anooska Tucker-Evans reports on a University of Queensland study. The University of Queensland's Prof Janet McColl-Kennedy said what...
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Feb23
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Smart Money reports According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business,70 per cent of Canadian small business owners will retire within the next decade. And with many of them primarily depending on the equity in their business to fund their...
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Feb21
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I was quite inspired to read about Teri Wilson who bought his gym business, Fitness Paradise, in 2006. He was interviewed by The Sydney Morning Herald. Teri shares 4 basic tips for success.1. Begin with the end in mind2. Make...
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Feb19
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Don't forget there are a wealth of resources at your library to help you with your small business. I'm not just talking books, or even CD's and videos. People are resources too, and your librarian is there to help you.I...
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Feb18
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Reverse psychology is a great way to identify the strengths and weaknesses in your small business plan. From The Pittsburgh Post Gazette -But before you go into business, try to convince yourself why you shouldn't, says Paul Stappas, founder of...
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Feb17
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John Deere, the iconic brand associated with farm tractors, is adding denim jeans to its range. This is not surprising. Just as Harley Davidson owners love to collect and wear Harley branded clothing and other items, John Deere also has a...
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Feb16
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It's a tough time for many small businesses. And yet, every day new businesses open up. We also hear about small businesses started on a shoestring budget which turn into multi million dollar businesses. What causes some businesses to flourish...
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Feb15
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Many of us are familiar with the popular social media sites online today, such as Digg.com, Delicious.com, StumbleUpon.com, etc. These can be powerful resources to help find and disseminate interesting articles, blog posts, and news stories. One of the...
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Small Biz Mentor has reached another proud milestone with this post. Yes, we've reached 555 posts. In October 2007, I joined Know More Media, taking over Small Biz Mentor from Melonie Murray. You can still visit Melonie at Workerette. I've met...
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Feb13
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Small business is about communication - listening, two way interaction and keeping in touch with what your customers want.Jay Ehret at The Marketing Spot shares an interesting anecdote about attending a recent music concert. Not long into the show, Aaron...
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Feb12
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Not everyone celebrates Valentine's Day, but special days are often a boost to small business retailers.If you don't want to go in for Valentine's Day in a big way, you can let other big companies take care of the Valentine's...
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Feb11
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Home is where the heart is, but Bill Freehling of The Freelance Gazette reports that "Home is where the job is."Monday is the sixth annual Doing Business In Your Bathrobe Day. Freehling quotes the founder of Doing Business In Your...
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Feb 9
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With people demanding more flexiblity, realtors and city planners are starting to take note.In Sioux Falls, a 30 acre development is underway which brings the 3 zones of work, shopping and home together in the same area.The Argus Leader quotes...
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Feb 8
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A business card can be a great marketing tool. However, a poorly planned business card can work against you. A business card needs to be an integral aspect of your business branding and professional image. Do you make these basic...
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Feb 7
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Seth Godin is a marketing guru. What's more he is a marketing guru for the Web 2.0 age. He knows about the power of business blogging and social media. When an author/marketer/social media personality has an action figure designed for...
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Feb 6
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If you are a small business owner, how much do you think about retirement?I guess it depends on what your long term plans are for your business and what you want to do yourself. Many people don't start their first...
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Feb 5
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Late in 2007, I brought you news of the Blog Pepper Contest. Know More Media and Tornado Solutions offered one lucky blogger 30 days of free blog consulting.I've just caught up on the news that a winner has been announced....
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Feb 4
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As we have a global audience at Small Biz Mentor, I like to let you know about any conferences or small business events coming up around the world.If you've ever wanted to visit New Zealand, now's your chance to combine...
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Feb 3
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Competition is healthy for business and for consumers. Many people who feel Google has far too much power are happy to see news of a Microsoft bid for Yahoo. At $US 44.6 billion, this is big business.However, there may be...
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Feb 2
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My local Borders now charges 70 cents per plastic bag if you don't have your own carry bag. Their "sell" on this is "Plastic bags now cost 10 cents - because they cost the environment a lot more." Reusable "green"...
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Feb 1
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February 1st marks National Wear Red Day and the start of National Heart Month in the U.S. The purpose is to focus awareness on women and heart disease. The Seattle Times reportsA number of Seattle landmarks — including the Space...
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