Monday - March 03, 2008
When we send petro-dollars to the middle east, what are they being spent on these days? Art Kleiner talks with Jim Blasingame about how the countries in the middle east are directing their wealth toward growing diversified economies that will thrive after the oil is gone.
The man who taught us how to "hug" our customers, Jack Mitchell is now ready to teach us how to "hug" our people. He and Jim Blasingame talk about the keys to success with employees on the small business radio program, The Small Business Advocate Show.
As the founder of Quill, he's one of the great American entrepreneurial success stories, and is now taking the time to share his wisdom with us. Jack Miller talks with Jim Blasingame about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
What is the impact of a challenging economy on our brands? Tom Asacker talks with Jim Blasingame about how to rely on and leverage our brands even more during these uncertain economic times.
Tuesday - March 04, 2008
Is anyone looking out for small businesses on the regulation front? Tom Sullivan is and he talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the regulations he's trying to get changed to help small businesses that have to comply with them.
Jim Blasingame continues his series on small business fundamentals. This time he talks about the importance of aggregating the success of employees, the role that trust plays in your success, and the value of outsourcing, both internal and external.
What elements should our online strategy include? Kendra Bonnett talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the key aspects of developing a successful online strategy, including how to drive traffic to your site, and the value of content.
What are the new developments in telecommunication? Annabel Dodd talks with Jim Blasingame about using an online phone service, instead of owning a phone system, and the impact of video on the Internet network backbone.
Wednesday - March 05, 2008
Would you like to run your small business the way Tiger Woods plays golf? Scott Eblin talks with Jim Blasingame about using the golf swing thought approach to managing meetings, working with employees or making a sales call.
How is Generation X and Y changing the landscape of America, including small business? Mike Muetzel talks with Jim Blasingame about how these young people are impacting politics and the marketplace. They also talk about what motivates them, which is more about "show me the meaning" than "show me the money."
What are you doing about the intellectual property your small business is creating? Barry Stein talks with Jim Blasingame about what to do about commercializing an invention, as well as how to secure and commercialize other intellectual property.
How much is video impacting your small business? Anita Rosen talks with Jim Blasingame about how online video can be a positive and a negative influence on your business, and how to make it more positive than negative. They also talk about how to let Youtube.com help you deliver your video message.
Thursday - March 06, 2008
What is one of the most important steps to having a successful home-based business? Jeff Zbar talks about this with Jim Blasingame, small business expert and host of The Small Business Advocate Show.
Should your sales approach differ during challenging economic times? Paul Cherry and Jim Blasingame talk about some key things to think about when you're calling on customers during a period of economic uncertainty.
Joan Pryde and Jim Blasingame talk about the most current issues, including the recent presidential primary results, the economy, various business expense items, for example, postage is going up but cell phone usage is going down. They also talk about President Bush's impact on the federal judiciary and other current issues.
Friday - March 07, 2008
What do women need to know about business ownership? Mary Cantando talks with Jim Blasingame about what women need to know about owning a business in addition to what any business owners would need to know.
How's the economy doing these days? Sam Norwood reports to Jim Blasingame on what his 600 partners are saying about the current state of the economy, including sales, capital spending, credit availability, etc.
Is there a new age dawning for marketing? Denise Shiffman thinks there is and she explains it to Jim Blasingame as they discuss how customers want to be marketed to in the 21st century.
Could our best alternative energy source come from slime? Joel Barker talks with Jim Blasingame about what he sees coming in the future, including three exciting alternative energy sources and a medical breakthrough.
Monday - March 10, 2008
Do your customers feel like celebrities when they come in your business? Donna Cutting talks with Jim Blasingame about how to roll out the red carpet on several levels, and they also make the connection between employee engagement and excellent customer service.
Are you a procrastinator? Liz Franklin let's Jim B off the hook by telling him everyone does some procrastination, and she talks about several ways to identify why you procrastinate and how to prevent it in the future.
Have you found a way to balance your life as you run and grow your small business? Jim Blasingame talks about his ideas and experience for gaining and maintaining balance without losing your business or your life.
What are the essential steps to checking out a franchise opportunity? Joel Libava and Jim Blasingame begin their visit talking about the economy, followed by a tour of the most important steps to take in order to find the franchise that's right for you.
Tuesday - March 11, 2008
Are you a lifestyle entrepreneur? Jane Pollack talks with Jim Blasingame about this type of business ownership, who they are and what they need to be successful.
Could you use some counseling in your small business? Ken Yancy talks with Jim Blasingame about how SCORE works with America's entrepreneurs around the country to help them to be more successful, and they do it for FREE.
You have a website, but do you have video on it? Benjamin Wayne talks with Jim Blasingame about how important it is to have video content on your website and how easy it is to do this today.
Do you have a business plan? Jim Blasingame talks about how to not be intimidated by the business planning process by just writing down what you already know in your head.
Wednesday - March 12, 2008
Can anxiety be both good and bad? And how can an organization be anxious? Jeffrey Miller talks with Jim Blasingame about what anxiety looks like in an organization, how damaging it can be and how to leverage the good kind and get rid of the bad kind.
How's the economy doing these days? Bill Dunkleberg talks with Jim Blasingame about the current conditions of the economy, including how the Federal Reserve is offering a number of creative tools to help the financial markets dig out of their problems. He also explains what small business owners think about the economy and how long he thinks it will be before it returns to a growth trend.
Joan Pryde joins Jim Blasingame to talk about the problems New York Gov. Spitzer is in, then they move on to discuss the challenges the U.S. currency is having against other currencies. They also discuss upcoming legislation, future actions by the Fed, our energy policy and oil reserves, technology, U.S. defense jobs and something called "e-visits" with your doctor.
Monday - March 17, 2008
What are you doing to make sure your employees are engaged? Michael Stallard joins Jim to talk about how to make our team members feel that they actually have an important stake in the direction of the business.
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day and the life of a good friend. Trace Murphy joins Jim on a bitter-sweet occasion as Jim announces the passing of one of his favorite Irishman and Brain Trust Members, John O'Donohue, and they reflect on the Gaelic words and wisdom of this great man.
Is technology creating a collision between the generations? Rob Salkowitz says there is and he talks with Jim Blasingame about the issues surrounding this collision and how to minimize it for your small business.
What do you need to know for your small business to withstand the current economic challenges? Stephen Baum talks with Jim Blasingame about several best practices that will help you survive and thrive, including something Stephen calls "extro-spection."
Tuesday - March 18, 2008
Are you managing your sales people or coaching them? Keith Rosen tells Jim Blasingame that we should quit managing and start coaching, and he explains the difference and where to start.
Continuing his series on small business fundamentals, Jim Blasingame talks about some critical marketplace fundamentals, like WIFFM, Pareto and integration.
How are things going in Iraq these days? June Reed talks with Jim Blasingame about why you don't see much about Iraq in the mainstream media: It's because the news is mostly good, not bad, and June talks about some of the exciting economic and marketplace developments that she's working on.
How is the Federal Reserve doing since Bob McTeer retired? Bob talks with Jim Blasingame about how the Fed is dealing with current economic challenges, including some of their new tools, whether we're in a recession, the difference between a run on an investment bank and a commercial bank, economy vs inflation, and of course, Jim always makes sure that Bob treats us to his latest haiku.
Wednesday - March 19, 2008
How do you lead change? Timothy Clark talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the best practices he's uncovered to help small businesses not only manage change, but to lead change.
What's it like doing business in Malaysia? Rob Jolles has just returned from that country and he talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the things you need to know when doing business in other countries and cultures.
What does it take to build a golf course in Scotland? Jerry Sarvadi has been reporting on his golf course project in Scotland and he's back to talk about the grand opening coming up, including some of the challenges he's faced doing business in another country. For the golfers, Jerry also talks about the course .
Want to know how to take your charitable giving to the next level with a foundation? Ivan Misner talks with Jim Blasingame about his 10-year old charitable foundation and how he was able to create and operate a smaller foundation by joining a larger fund that provides administration and auditing, but Ivan still gets to direct his contributions to the charities of his choice.
Thursday - March 20, 2008
Who's doing the bookkeeping for your small business? Beverley Williams and Sarah Wilt talk with Jim about why you should consider outsourcing your financial record-keeping and how to do it.
How do you blend small business with politics? No one does this better than Rich Galen and Jim Blasingame and they first discuss what it takes to make a business last for a decade and then move on to the current political events.
Jim Ostroff joins Jim Blasingame to discuss the most recent Kiplinger Letter, including how either party will handle Iraq after the election in November. Plus, they talk about how the Federal Reserve is handling some of the challenging economic issues and then move on to discuss how states are treating family leave, presidential politics and other current events.
Friday - March 21, 2008
How do your brands create value? Ron Strauss talks with Jim about all the ways your brands build value, first for your customers and therefore, ultimately for your small business.
What's new at the U.S. Small Business Administration? Wilma Goldstein joins Jim to talk about how the SBA contributes to small businesses, including the Women's Business Centers.
What is the future of email? Christina Cavanagh talk with Jim about how to be more efficient with email, how to better manage spam, and what the future holds for email marketing.
Is there a shift happening in Internet marketing? Esther Dyson talks with Jim Blasingame about how more and more consumers are taking control of how they let companies deliver their marketing messages to them, and how small businesses can be prepared for this shift.
Monday - March 24, 2008
How do you increase sales when the economy is going down? Pat Weber talks with Jim Blasingame about how to actually sell more when others are selling less.
Jim Blasingame continues his series on operating fundamentals, this week his topic is on technology. Jim talks about how small business owners should consider the vast array of technologies that are available small companies and how they can provide a significant competitive advantage.
How do you keep your organization at a high functioning level when there is a high level of anxiety? Quint Studer talks with Jim Blasingame about the importance of establishing and printing standards of behavior as a baseline for all employees.
How will the financial crisis ultimately manifest in the marketplace? Gary Moore talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the things he thinks will happen, including increased regulation of the financial industry.
Tuesday - March 25, 2008
How is your small business impacted by the immigration policies of our country? Tamar Jacoby talks with Jim Blasingame about the realities of our illegal immigrant population on the economy and our politics, and what it means for your small business.
A slow economy is no time to make mistakes. Bill Conerly talks with Jim Blasingame about some of the things to avoid during a downturn in the economy.
What should you do about marketing when the economy slows down? Ilise Benun talks with Jim Blasingame about how to execute your marketing strategy, even during -- especially in -- a slow economy.
Cash is always king, but never more so than during a slow economy. Gene Siciliano talks with Jim Blasingame about how to manage your cash requirements by tracking it in an electronic financial spreadsheet. They also talk about how to build one and who should be managing this information.
Wednesday - March 26, 2008
Are you using email campaigns as part of your marketing strategy? Thomas Harpointer talks with Jim Blasingame about how email marketing can help you reach more customers with less per unit expense.
Do you believe the news you see on television and read in newspapers? Amy Menefee talks with Jim Blasingame about how when you combine the mainstream media with political agendas it creates bad reporting.
When you feel bad, do you stay home or do you show up at your small business anyway? Barry Motlz talks with Jim about the resiliency of small business owners and why their characteristic of "showing up" matters to our marketplace.
How do you differentiate in a small business between marketing and sales? John Jantsch talks with Jim Blasingame about why small businesses must separate the marketing and sales tasks so that they can become more mutually beneficial.
Thursday - March 27, 2008
What does it take to be a successful small business owner? Beverley Williams and Jim Blasingame talk about how to identify whether the business you're planning has a chance of succeeding, first on paper, and then with regard to your level of commitment to your dream.
How closely does raising a child compare to starting and growing a business? Julie Lenzer Kirk talks with Jim Blasingame about the parallels of running a business and having children, including the commitment that is required.
Joan Pryde joins Jim Blasingame as they talk about the current economic conditions, including mortgage foreclosures, the government involvement in the economic recovery, health care cost savings ideas, alternative energy and new technologies, and finally, trade issues.
Friday - March 28, 2008
Are you an "or" person or an "and" person? Jim Ballard talks with Jim Blasingame about the "genius of and" and the "tyranny of or," and why you should know about the impact of these two attitudes.
Have you given much thought to diversity in your business lately? Jim Blasingame provides his definition of business diversity and he talks about diversity as the right thing to do and as a best practice.
How do you sustain remarkable customer service? Chip Bell and Jim Blasingame talk about ways you can make customers come back over and over, without spending any money.
Are you ready for tax filing time? Eva Rosenberg talks with Jim Blasingame about some important tax tips and tools to help you get and stay organized with your tax records.
Monday - March 31, 2008
How successful are you in doing business with the younger generations? Peter Sheahan talks with Jim Blasingame about what makes Gen X and Gen Y different, plus how to market to them and how to employ them in our businesses.
What is the leadership potential of Gen X and Gen Y? Leslie Braksick talks with Jim Blasingame about how she thinks the younger generation will perform as leaders.
Do you want to become an Internet millionaire? Scott Fox has already accomplished this and he joins Jim Blasingame to talk about how you can take advantage of what he's learned about the Internet, including how to make money providing products and information online.
Rieva has stopped talking about it and is now doing it. Reiva Lesonsky has been talking to small business owners for years about how to do it, and now she talks with Jim Blasingame about the fact that she's taking her own advice and has started her own small business.