The Freestyle Entrepreneur

The Issue Can’t wait to outgrow the ties of scale that keep your small business small? Be careful what you wish for! With success comes stricture, and it doesn’t take long to outgrow the fierce independence and responsive vitality of being a freestyle entrepreneur. What I Think True story. The names have been changed to [...]

The Issue: What’s the number-one business killer on the internet?  It’s pretty obvious, but many of us miss it. The answer? Not being found on the first page of Google. What I Think Millions of Internet searches are punched in every day, many looking for exactly what you and I are selling. The trouble is [...]

By Paul & Tracey McManus, Authors of The 7 Great Prayers: For a Lifetime of Hope and Blessings Lost jobs. Lost homes. Lost hope It’s in the headlines, it’s on the news, and it’s in our day-to-day conversations with people we care about: family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and people within our spiritual circles. When you’re [...]

Issue of the Week Many of the folks you ask to join your company will think like entrepreneurs from the get-go. But not all. People hired for their must-have knowledge and skills may be clueless about working at a small business or for an independent cuss like you. Think computer geeks and shipping mavens, for [...]

The Back to Basics Book of Selling A Guide to a Successful Sales Career 25th Anniversary Edition By John R. Ingrisano www.TheFreestyleentrepreneur.com Paperback, $19.94 Reviewed by Bill Willard Selling is a numbers game, a thought perhaps best expressed in the famous 10-3-1 sales ratio. That is, for every 10 live bodies you talk to, 3 [...]

The Issue At a time when landing new customers may be at the top of our SBO agendas, ignoring existing customers can soon become a self-inflicted, perhaps fatal wound. What I Think: Last summer, Sue and I purchased 30 feet of sliding glass doors for our waterfront Clearwater, FL condo. Other than letting in lots [...]

The Issue If you have an incorrect medical bill or denied insurance claim, getting it corrected can become a lengthy process. If the denial is for coverage or a service or procedure, it can mean fighting the insurance company tooth and nail…their very large teeth and extremely sharp nails. What I Think First of all, [...]

Book Review Think Like A Champion – An Informal Education in Business and Life By Donald J. Trump, with Meredith McGiver Vanguard Press, 2009 Hardcover, $24.95 Reviewed by Bill Willard www.Freestylentrepreneur.com More than just the product of an indifferent barber, Donald Trump is a self-made, deservedly self-confident businessman instantly recognized wherever he goes. He is, [...]

The Issue Are you ready for anything? In these uncertain times, with Washington pols providing little if any credible leadership, Freestyle Entrepreneurs better know when its time to flip the switch from inaction (normalcy) to action (adaptability). What I Think Air force aviators are taught survival in the most hostile environments and worst possible weather. [...]

Book Review The Fearless Fish Out of Water – How to Succeed When You’re The Only One Like You By Robin Fisher Roffer www.fearlessfishoutofwater.com Paperback, $24.95 Reviewed by Bill Willard Almost everyone has a “fish-out-of-water” story to tell. A report in Parade Magazine, for instance, explains that the promotional tagline “Characters Welcome,” which airs during [...]

The Issue Congress passed a $787 billion stimulus package on February 13, 2009. The measure passed in the House with no Republican votes. Three Republican senators, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter joined the Democrats to pass the bill, by a vote of 60-38, in the Senate. President Barack Obama, who originally drafted the [...]

The Issue: Remember when doctors came to your home when you were sick? Anyone who grew up in the ‘40s and ’50 probably does. A relic of the past? Well, yes. But apparently one that’s worth a second look; this time as “Elite Care MD,” a medical practice that caters to business owners and anyone [...]

The Issue:  Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, from Mom & Pop retail operations to independent professionals, manufacturers and, increasingly, developers of on-line businesses. This last group is the focus of this Issue of the Week.   What I Think: Although the nuts and bolts of online business vary widely, one thing is true [...]

Don’t Cut Corners The Issue: When responding to opportunities, businesses typically have several decisions to make. Among them, the trade off between the prices they will ask for their new products or services (if any) and the cost of delivering those products and services at a profit. For a manufacturing business, however, there is a [...]

By Bill Willard Contributing Author The Issue:  Helping SBOs keep their heads above water during the recession has been a recurring theme on this and other Websites, as well as in newspapers, magazines and other media outlets for and about business owners.  Because every little bit helps–and you can never tell where your next great idea [...]

By Bill Willard Contributing Author The Issue: The nation’s economy is in dire straits, but Congress, whose charge is fixing the problem, has demonstrated one thing: They’re not up to the job.  What I Think: As Ronald Reagan always maintained: The Federal government is not the solution, it’s the problem. indeed, the perfidity of many [...]

By Bill Willard Contributing Author The issue:  Take a minute: How many ways can you think of to leverage the simple question: “Is That the Best You Can Do?” What I Think:  As a writer, I use it to edit my work—right after the spell-checker—before sending anything to clients or posting to Internet sites like [...]

The Issue: Formal education is a fine thing, but before setting out on their own, would-be small-business owners are advised to have completed a semester or two at The School Hard knocks: at least one pass through the proverbial meat grinder of life (ouch!). Those who’ve been there and done that value the practical experience [...]

Stress is a Fact of Life; Deal With It! By Bill Willard Contributing Author The Issue: Deep-dish stress can make you feel helpless, as if there is no way of overcoming problems except coping with them until the situation improves. For small-business owners and freestyle entrepreneurs, pressure and stress are routine parts of the scenery—like [...]

A Business Model for Surviving Armageddon By Bill Willard Contributing Author The Issue:  It’s official: The nation’s financial meltdown and economic nose dive made 2008 one lousy year, deep-sixing everything from banks and airlines to scores of retailers whose brands we all grew up with, and dragging untold numbers of once-secure jobs along with them [...]

Recruiting  & Selection Tips SBOS Can Put To The Test – Part 2 EEOC/ADA Do’s & Don’ts By Bill Willard, Contributing Author The Issue: Every question you ask in selection interviews is subject to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEOC) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. What I’ve Learned:  Thanks to Uncle Sam, “Freestyle Entrepreneur” is [...]

Recruiting  & Selection Tips SBOS Can Put To The Test – Part 1 By Bill Willard, Contributing Author  The Issue: For SBOs, Recruiting sales reps means finding people who can sell; Selection means inviting only the best to come aboard.  [Note: We’re talking outside sales here, not clerks roaming the isles or manning the cash [...]

The Issue: With the holidays approaching faster than any foreseeable end to our current economic meltdown, Mike McDerment, CEO of FreshBooks (freshbooks.com), a leading online invoicing service for small businesses, offers some expert advice that can help you and your business enjoy this holiday season, despite the lousy economy.    What Mike Thinks: These 10 [...]

The Issue: When retailers file for bankruptcy, gift-card and other account cardholders could be left high and dry. What I Think:  Of course, we wish only the best for small businesses of all types. But while understandably not their first concern if going out of business is at hand, retailers should be aware that gift-card [...]

The Issue: Customer service means meeting the needs of your key constituencies: Those sainted souls who have bought, will buy or might buy your products and services. Performed well, it can easily make your business; neglected, it can break it like a matchstick. What I Think: Routine customer service should be wind-and-go. At times, though, [...]