Business advice for ACTUAL small businesses and solopreneurs. Small business used to mean mom & pop grocery stores, auto repair, the neighborhood pharmacy, etc. Today, "small" businesses can have up to 1,000 employees and $500 million in revenue and still qualify as "small" in the eyes of the government and financial institutions. As attention spans have gotten smaller, small business has gotten bigger, and the term is unfortunately now essentially meaningless. The problem is that owners of truly small business (read: micro business) have few resources to help them that are specific to businesses which are actually small in size and scope. Instead, we are stuck following millionaire moguls, 7-figure influencers, and government and finance industries -- all of which are gearing their advice towards larger "small" businesses. At best, you're following advice that just doesn't work; at worst, you're destroying your own business by focusing on the wrong things. As a fellow microbusiness owner, my goal is to talk about and explore concepts in small business, in the context of ACTUAL small businesses. Putting out as much free content as I can is part of my plan, so I encourage you to subscribe here, join my email list and blog at microbizmentors.com, and get in touch with me at pete@microbizmentors.com if you have questions or want to hear an episode or read a blog post about a particular topic. You can also visit microbizmentors.com/questions for a direct line to the microbusiness help desk - I read all messages and your question might just be featured in a future episode!
Just imagine - what if you didn't have the constraints that you think you do. Like... What if you're wrong?On the other hand, what if you imposed constraints on purpose to see what would happen?These are the things I think about on the treadmill. Microbusiness owners face an incredible number of limitations, hurdles, and constraints. Some exist because of real-world shortcomings and roadblocks, some exist because of our particular market or industry, and some - believe it or not - are self-imposed. Today we'll look at common constraints we face, examine ways to remove them, and look at ways to succeed by imposing constraints on yourself and your business on purpose.Microbusiness owners face many constraints, including real-world limitations, challenges specific to their industry, and self-imposed obstacles. To overcome these challenges, microbusinesses need to be efficient with their resources, creative in their revenue generation, and focused on meeting the needs of their customers. Additionally, they can use constraints to their advantage by focusing their efforts, spurring creativity, building a strong team, and constraining their business operations.Read the blog post behind this episode at microbizmentors.com/blog, and please share the word about this podcast so that it can continue to grow. Your support means a lot.Connect with me:https://www.microbizmentors.compete@microbizmentors.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbuckmba
12/8/22 • 33:12
Black Friday is the worst best idea that capitalism ever had. Let’s start with this though – do you even know the origin of the term “Black Friday”? When I was a kid I remember thinking it must have something to do with Black people, but I could never figure out why that would be the case, or why everyone seemed to be okay with that. Later when I learned that it’s because it was designed to get businesses out of the red (negative financial territory) and in to the black, things made a lot more sense. (Context note: positive numbers in finance reports are black, negative ones are red, or in italics, or in parentheses, or some combination of these).Tune in to hear my opinion on Black Friday sales, learn a bit about Minimum Advertised Pricing as well as buyer types, and hopefully some other things to think about as well as we head towards Cyber Monday. Read my full blog post about Black Friday at https://www.microbizmentors.com/does-black-friday-hurt-micro-businesses/.Finally, please leave a review and rating wherever you're listening, it would mean a lot as I am just starting out on this journey - my goal is to be helpful and "provide value" (one of my least favorite business terms right now), so if you feel helped please let me know. Similarly, if there are things I'm not talking about that you think I should, please let me know that as well! Oh, and please tell a friend to listen in as well. Thanks!Connect with me:https://www.microbizmentors.compete@microbizmentors.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbuckmba
11/27/22 • 19:41
I'm Peter Buck, and this is Microbizmentors. We explore small business development topics in the context of ACTUAL small businesses.This epsiode discusses everyone's least favorite topic: paperwork. It's on my desk, it's on my couch... it's everywhere. Staying on top of it is difficult at best, from taxes and business licensing to processing new dealer account applications for my bike shop. We'll discuss a few strategies I've implemented to help keep myself organized in an area of business that is easily overwhelming but also easily controllable. If you have a question you'd like to ask, a scenario you'd like help with, or a comment, reach out to me at microbizmentors.com/questions any time. I read all submissions and I might just feature one on a future episode!Connect with me:https://www.microbizmentors.compete@microbizmentors.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbuckmba
11/17/22 • 09:12
I'm Peter Buck, and this is Microbizmentors. We explore small business development topics in the context of ACTUAL small businesses.This episode has more info about who I am and where I've come from, as well as info about upcoming episodes and topics. If you have a question you'd like to ask, a scenario you'd like help with, or a comment, reach out to me at microbizmentors.com/questions any time. I read all submissions and I might just feature one on a future episode!Real small businesses are the backbone of the economy: 93% of businesses in the United States are MICRObusinesses. As big businesses have gotten bigger, midsize businesses started calling themselves "small", and here we are. Today's definition of small business can mean a company with up to 1,000 employees and $500 million in revenue! Meanwhile the rest of us in the real world of small business try to compete on an unequal field, listening to advice that isn't relevant, worrying about things that we can't control because we don't have lobbyists. So, tune in and let's tackle the real world challenges faced by real world microbusiness owners.Connect with me:https://www.microbizmentors.compete@microbizmentors.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbuckmba
11/15/22 • 09:30
I'm Peter Buck, and this is Microbizmentors. We explore small business development topics in the context of ACTUAL small businesses.This episode has more info about who I am and where I've come from, as well as info about upcoming episodes and topics. If you have a question you'd like to ask, a scenario you'd like help with, or a comment, reach out to me at microbizmentors.com/questions any time. I read all submissions and I might just feature one on a future episode!Real small businesses are the backbone of the economy: 93% of businesses in the United States are MICRObusinesses. As big businesses have gotten bigger, midsize businesses started calling themselves "small", and here we are. Today's definition of small business can mean a company with up to 1,000 employees and $500 million in revenue! Meanwhile the rest of us in the real world of small business try to compete on an unequal field, listening to advice that isn't relevant, worrying about things that we can't control because we don't have lobbyists. So, tune in and let's tackle the real world challenges faced by real world microbusiness owners.Connect with me:https://www.microbizmentors.compete@microbizmentors.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbuckmba
11/13/22 • 16:34
I decided what the world REALLY needs is another podcast. There just aren't enough people sharing their expertise, trying to put enough hooks in their content to make you circle back and make you hop, skip, and jump on a call.Cringe. My podcast is different. Just like everyone else's. I've decided to just record them in one shot without going back to do editing, so that's fun. I've also decided to focus on the same business development crud as everyone else, except (here's the actual differentiation) I'm focusing on MICRO business. You know, that thing that people used to mean when they said "small" business, except now that definition has become as fat and bloated as your regional manager.So buckle up, tune in, give me some feedback so I can try to suck less, and give me a sub... if you're in to that sort of thing.I'm Peter Buck, and this is Microbizmentors. We explore small business development topics in the context of ACTUAL small businesses. What you thought was "small business" is a lie. Real small businesses are the backbone of the economy: 93% of businesses in the United States are MICRObusinesses. As big businesses have gotten bigger, midsize businesses started calling themselves "small", and here we are. Today's definition of small business can mean a company with up to 1,000 employees and $500 million in revenue! Meanwhile the rest of us in the real world of small business try to compete on an unequal field, listening to advice that isn't relevant, worrying about things that we can't control because we don't have lobbyists. So, tune in and let's tackle the real world challenges faced by real world microbusiness owners.Connect with me:https://www.microbizmentors.compete@microbizmentors.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbuckmba
11/7/22 • 16:37