By Janet Barclay. In the 15 years I’ve been in business, I’ve been to quite a few trade shows, both as an exhibitor and a visitor. Based on my experience, I had made a few conclusions: It’s difficult for a service-based business to stand out next to those who have products to display. Most exhibitors are more interested in selling than…

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At a recent GHVA Group meeting, we asked our members, “What is your favourite email marketing service?” The #1 answer was MailChimp. Why MailChimp is our Favourite Email Marketing Service It integrates well with other apps, such as Zapier, Realty Juggler, and many others. It’s easy to use. You can easily replicate a campaign to use as a starting point…

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By Janet Barclay. Everyone who has a website or is planning to start one needs to choose a hosting company. Hosting can range from free to hundreds of dollars per month, so it’s important to make an informed decision. Free Hosting As the saying goes, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” so remember that if you opt for…

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By Angela Spisak. Me too. In fact, I avoided networking for a very long time. I only did it when it was absolutely necessary. As someone who works from home, it’s so easy to just stay home inside my shell so to speak. The first group (and only group) I joined when I first started my business was a local…

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By Crystal Burkholder. Tool #1: Buffer App This tool will help drive traffic, increase fan engagement and save time in social media. You can automate tweets, pins, Facebook posts, LinkedIn shares, and Google+ posts, as well as share images, video and GIFs. This is a social media scheduling tool where you can schedule from your IOS or Android device. Tool…

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By Crystal Burkholder. Trend #1 Facebook is going to ignite visibility. They are going to improve their relationship with business. Facebook realizes that businesses are driving their ad platform and they want to provide tools that enhance the relationship with business. To that end they are introducing Facebook Live Videos (this is video streaming). Live streaming in general is a…

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When you do your own bookkeeping, it’s hard to be confident that you’re doing everything correctly. Follow the advice of our three small business bookkeeping experts, and you’ll be on the right track! Jenn Kubilis Ready to try a bookkeeping program like Sage 50 or QuickBooks, or perhaps an online program such FreshBooks or Wave, but not sure how to…

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By Crystal Burkholder. When we hear social media, social media marketing, or social media networking, we automatically think about LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and maybe YouTube. But there is so much more to social media such as blogging, niche specific social channels, audio, video, and others. Companies are being pressured into the whole social media thing from lots of angles. They’re…

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By Crystal Burkholder. We have all attended a function or a meeting, where we know we are going to be introduced to new people. So how do we introduce ourselves quickly, clearly, and distinctly without losing the interest of our audience? A good pitch takes planning and practice, to deliver it quickly, on the spot, and under pressure. There are…

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By Janet Barclay. One of the biggest challenges for solo entrepreneurs is making time to work on your business. If you have a full practice, marketing may not be your top priority, but it should never be neglected, as your situation may change with little or no warning. Tasks such as invoicing and bookkeeping not only must be performed on…

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