Christy Ford is the co-founder of The Scout Guide. She started her career as a photographer and later moved to Charlottesville, opening a Georgian antique and home store with her mother. As the business grew, Christy realized there was a lack of successful advertising opportunities for local small businesses. She was driven to find a […]
March 2023 #SmallBizChat: What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You
#Smallbizchat Podcast LIVE is a monthly video interview show where small business owners can get answers to their questions. The focus of #Smallbizchat is to end small business failure by helping participants succeed as your own boss. Please join us live every third Wednesday of the month from 8-9 pm ET Live on my SmallBizLady Facebook […]
The SmallBizChat Podcast: Hit It & Quit It with Sarah Durham, Joel Libava, & Brandi Mitchell
Sarah Durham is an entrepreneur and creative consultant passionate about helping entrepreneurs. She founded Big Duck in 1994 to help nonprofits increase their visibility, raise money, and communicate more effectively. Now, she serves on its board of directors after selling the business to her employees in 2021. Sarah now provides coaching to entrepreneurs, nonprofit […]
November 2022 #SmallBizChat: How to Transition to Employee Ownership and Find a Winning Franchise
#Smallbizchat Podcast LIVE is a monthly video chat where small business owners can get answers to their questions. The focus of #Smallbizchat Podcast LIVE is to end small business failure by helping participants succeed as your own boss. Please join us live on my SmallBizLady Facebook Page or my YouTube Channel. Sarah Durham is an entrepreneur […]
5 Unique Ways to Grow a Happy and Motivated Franchise Team
We all want to become someone that inspires and is worthy of a tight-knit, supportive franchise team. But how is it done? What approaches can you take to ensure your staff are happy and always striving for the best? Here are five useful tips for creating a positive franchise environment that gets the most from […]
10 Things You Need to Know Before Buying Into a Franchise
Owning a franchise allows you to go into business for yourself, but not by yourself. A franchise owner operates by selling an established product or service which often has significant brand recognition (think McDonald’s or Orange Theory). A franchise includes not only a product, service, and trademark but also the complete method to conduct the business […]
How to Grow Your Small Business
For those small business owners who survived the startup phase and are now ready to grow your business, there are numerous possibilities. Keep in mind, growing your business will depend on what business you are in and how much money, time and sweat equity you’re willing to invest all over again. Here are four ways to […]
Tips for Becoming a Franchise Owner – #SmallBizChat QA
Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Joel Libava @franchiseking. Joel has been involved in some facet of the franchise business for 20 years. His focus for the last […]
How to Be Successful as a Franchise Owner with Dina Dwyer-Owens
Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with @DinaDwyerOwens. She’s the Chairwoman and CEO of The Dwyer Group www.dwyergroup.com over such well-known service brands as Mr. Rooter, Aire Serv Heating […]
Could a Franchise Be the Right Model for Your Business?
I’m Melinda Emerson and each week as the Small Biz Lady (AKA @SmallBizLady on Twitter), I conduct interviews with small business experts on my weekly Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. This is excerpted from my interview with Mary Tomzack (AKA @FranchiseHelp on Twitter), Mary is author of “Tips & Traps When Buying a Franchise,” and one […]