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You are here: Home / Archives for Grow Your Business

Should You Start a Business Right Now?

June 1, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

For many aspiring entrepreneurs, the answer is No. No one should build something from scratch right now. Over the next 5 years, with so many baby boomers retiring, there’s a lot of business inventory available. Buying an existing business or investing in a franchise is often the faster, more reliable route to cash flow, financial […]

Filed Under: Business Inspiration, Cash Flow & Finance, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, How to Start, Sales, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: become a successful entrepreneur, business acquisition, buying a franchise, existing business, invest in a franchise, leadership in business, starting a business

The Owner Absence Test: Can Your Business Run Without You?

May 25, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

Few questions matter more to a business owner than this one: Can the company continue to operate smoothly if I step away for a period of time? The Owner Absence Test is a practical experiment that answers that question. It exposes single points of failure, uncovers undocumented processes, and reveals whether your team, systems, and […]

Filed Under: Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, Featured Post, Fix Your Business, Grow Your Business, Leadership, Sales, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: business owner, business systems, maintain business objectives, measure metrics, owner absence

Why Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers Should Think Like Publishers Before Writing a Book

May 18, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

A book can be the single most powerful tool for a coach, consultant, or speaker to build authority, expand reach, and create new revenue streams. But a book is also a product, a marketing platform, and an operations project. Treating it as an ad hoc creative exercise rather than a business initiative is how promising […]

Filed Under: Branding & Marketing, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, Sales, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: book publishing, negotiating book contract, product launch, promotion of book, publishing path, sales and marketing

The SmallBizChat Podcast: Hit It and Quit It with Milton Hunt, Sharif Small and Lorraine Marchand

May 21, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

In this episode, Melinda Emerson introduces the format and encourages listeners to subscribe. The discussion features a panel where Melinda, along with Sharif Small, Milton Hunt, and Lorraine Marchand, share their favorite business podcasts, apps, and marketing tips. They also highlight some of the best business books that have influenced their entrepreneurial journeys. Milton Hunt […]

Filed Under: Business Inspiration, Fix Your Business, Grow Your Business, SmallBizChat, The SmallBizChat Podcast Tagged With: business apps, business books, business podcasts, business resources, entrepreneurship, expert insights, marketing tips, Small Biz Lady University, small business, small business advice

The SmallBizChat Podcast: Hit It and Quit It with Syama Bunten, Kellé Thorpe, and Sarah Ohanesian

April 16, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

In this episode, Melinda Emerson kicks off with an introduction and underscores the importance of podcast subscriptions. The core of the discussion features a panel where Melinda, Syama Bunten, Kellé Thorpe, and Sarah Ohanesian share their favorite podcasts, apps, marketing strategies, and books that inspire and drive their success. The episode is sponsored by Zoho […]

Filed Under: Business Inspiration, Fix Your Business, Grow Your Business, SmallBizChat, The SmallBizChat Podcast Tagged With: business advice, business apps, business books, entrepreneurship, favorite podcasts, marketing tips, Small Biz Lady University, small business, small business education, Zoho One

The SmallBizChat Podcast: What You Need To Know If You Want To Sell Your Business with Melinda Emerson

May 7, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

In this episode, Melinda Emerson explores the intricacies of selling a business, starting with the impact of positive reviews and word of mouth. She discusses the importance of mergers and acquisitions in building a lasting enterprise and outlines crucial questions to ask before selling. Melinda emphasizes the need for a well-planned exit timeline and setting […]

Filed Under: Business Inspiration, Grow Your Business, SmallBizChat, The SmallBizChat Podcast Tagged With: business legacy, business operations, earnouts, exit strategy, financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, positive reviews, selling a business, small business advice, Word-of-mouth Marketing

National Small Business Week: Celebrating the Heart of America

May 4, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

Each spring, communities across the nation turn their attention to the engines of local prosperity: America’s small businesses. This is National Small Business Week, observed this year from May 3 to 9, spotlighting the entrepreneurs, family-owned shops, freelance professionals, and small professional firms that form the backbone of the U.S. economy. It’s a week to […]

Filed Under: Branding & Marketing, Business Inspiration, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, Side Hustle, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: celebrate small business, communities, entrepreneurs, family-owned business, Freelance, heart of america, national small business week

Sell More Without Spending More on Ads

May 11, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

If your first instinct when sales slow down is to spend more on ads, we need to have a real conversation. In this economy, throwing money at marketing without fixing your internal sales systems is one of the fastest ways to burn cash and get frustrated doing it. Costs are up across the board. Digital […]

Filed Under: Branding & Marketing, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, Sales, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: consistent communication, digital ads, email marketing, follow-up systems, online real estate, referral program, referrals

The Great Price Increase: How to Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

April 27, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

Let’s be honest. A lot of us small business owners are afraid to raise prices, yet everyone is raising theirs on you. This is eroding your margins. You need the money, and your work is valuable. But you’re afraid that customers will leave and sales will slow down, but if you do nothing, you might […]

Filed Under: Cash Flow & Finance, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, Sales, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: customer pricing, positioning, price increase, raise prices, target audience, value anchoring

Does Your Sales Flywheel Have Friction?

April 20, 2026 By Melinda Emerson Leave a Comment

Most small businesses are still being taught to think in terms of sales funnels. Get attention, generate leads, close the sale, and then start all over again. That model works, but it is incomplete. It treats customers as one-time transactions rather than building long-term relationships. This forces you to constantly chase new leads just to […]

Filed Under: Branding & Marketing, Featured Post, Grow Your Business, Sales, Starting A Small Business, Women in Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: customer attraction, lead generation, referral strategy, revenue engine, sales flywheel, sales funnel, sales loop

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Laurie Dalton White Conference Director, Pennsylvania Conference for Women
Melinda Emerson has been a fantastic small business and social media resource for the Pitney Bowes team. Not only is she personable and easy to work with, but she also has an innate understanding of the small business audience. My marketing programs … Read more
Justin Amendola, Former VP, Global SMB Digital Strategy, Pitney Bowes

Latest #SmallBizChat

The SmallBizChat Podcast: How to Transition from Business Owner to CEO with Michelle Snow

In this episode, Melinda Emerson is joined by Michelle Snow to explore the transition from business owner to CEO, highlighting key differences and necessary mindset shifts. They discuss the importance of delegation, training, and effective business operations, along with systems and tools for scalability. The conversation delves into the role of integrity and accountability in […]

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Recent Posts

  • The SmallBizChat Podcast: How to Transition from Business Owner to CEO with Michelle Snow
  • Should You Start a Business Right Now?
  • The SmallBizChat Podcast: How to Evaluate an Existing Business to Buy with Andrea Palacio
  • The Owner Absence Test: Can Your Business Run Without You?
  • The SmallBizChat Podcast: Hit It and Quit It with Milton Hunt, Sharif Small and Lorraine Marchand

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