Jim Blasingame's Blog, page 33
February 27, 2014
SBA Poll Results: Did you watch the Winter Olympics?
The Question:
Are you watching the Winter Olympics this year?
43% - I watch every minute of every Olympics I possibly can
43% - I never watch the Olympics, summer or winter
14% - I watch summer Olympics, but not winter Olympics
0% - I watch winter Olympics, but not summer Olympics
My Comments:
As you can see, most respondents either watch all Olympics or none. Only a few watch just the summer version and not one of our respondents like just the winter competitions.
As I mentioned in my column last we...
February 26, 2014
Before that I was a drudge
He was a remarkable individual. In addition to being a composer and piano virtuoso, Ignace Jan Paderewski (1860-1941), was also a former Prime Minister of Poland.
Following a command performance on piano before Queen Victoria, she exclaimed, “Sir, you are a genius.”
Alluding to all of the effort required to earn such adoration, Paderewski said, “Perhaps, your Majesty, but before that I was a drudge.”
Webster: drudge - a person who does hard, menial, tedious work
This story reminds me of a success...
February 25, 2014
Allow customers to see your authentic side
Adam Smith, the father of modern economics and author of The Wealth of Nations (1776), identified writing as one of the three most important inventions of mankind – the other two being money and economic tables.
More than two centuries later, the Internet has powered the written word to levels unimagined only a generation ago, let alone during Smith’s era. Indeed, it is the driving force behind a handy new-media maxim, “Content is King.”
Today we’re consumers of many kinds of online content, in...
February 21, 2014
Video: The original social media is face-to-face
In this week's video I explain why face-to-face communication can help your small business.
The original social media is face-to-face from Jim Blasingame on Vimeo.
February 20, 2014
SBA Poll Results: What would you do with more money?
The Question:
If you were allowed to pay less taxes this year, what would you do with the money?
36% - Reinvest it in my business
11% - Give myself a raise
41% - Pay down debt
11% - Set the cash aside for emergencies
My Comments:
Over the years I’ve asked this question of many small business owners in the U.S. as well as other countries, and almost without exception the answer has been, “reinvest in my business.” As you can see, in our recent poll this was the second highest answer. It’s not surpris...
February 19, 2014
Top 10 reasons to love small business
Continuing the spirit of Valentine’s Day, here are the “Top 10 Reasons To Love Small Business,” as proposed by our friends over at the Office of Advocacy of the SBA.
10. Small businesses make up more than 99.7% of all employers.
9. Small businesses create more than 50 percent of the nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).
8. Small patenting firms produce 13 to 14 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms.
7. The 22.9 million small businesses in the United States are located...
February 18, 2014
Admiring Olympic and small business heroes
Olympians and small business owners are kindred spirits.
Watching the Winter Olympic athletes compete, we’re taken to a place where special humans participate in a noble cause. These heroes commit countless hours over many years, pushing their minds and bodies to achieve a level of excellence that might qualify them to … merely be on an Olympic team and represent their country.
Notice neither winning medals nor glory were mentioned. Most Olympians find neither, and yet they try.
Watching an even...
February 13, 2014
SBA Poll Results: President Obama and Executive Orders
The Question:
President Obama is frustrated with Congress and plans to use more Executive Orders to govern. 
What do you think?
2% - He should use this tactic as often as necessary.
11% - He should use Executive orders, but only when constitutional.
68% - He should be stopped from using unconstitutional Executive Orders.
18% - He should move to the center and work with Republicans.
My Comments:
One of my predictions for 2014 was that Congressional Republicans would resort to lawsuits to reign in Pres...
February 12, 2014
Risk what you know
Ever wonder what makes someone take risks? Take the next step? Have a go at something they’ve never tried before? I ask myself these questions, mostly about myself, all the time.
This jewel is from my friend, Tom Feltenstein, and it’s in his book, Uncommon Wisdom:
The times when I’ve been truly creative - when I’ve been the boldest and most imaginative, when I’ve taken the lead–have been those times when I was willing not to know. When I was willing to risk what I knew, for what I might learn.
I...
February 11, 2014
Long before Facebook there was face-to-face
Since Samuel Morse’s first telegraph in 1844, communication technologies have sought relevance in an increasingly noisy universe. What hath God wrought, indeed.
Almost 170 years later, there is actual management pain from an embarrassment of riches of communication innovations. And this discomfort is especially keen when connecting with customers electronically: Should you call, email, text, or instant message? And when should you use social media?
But from telegraph to Twitter, one constant ha...
