By Edie G. Tolchin
With tips from the zany (send a pizza to potential clients) to downright ballsy (hire an ex-con), Jane Applegate’s arrow hits the bull’s eye with 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business.
The book, in its third edition, is a must for those contemplating developing new products.
Readers should pay particular attention to Chapter 4: Develop and Launch New Products and Services. This chapter contains 14 tips, including how to get started with your new invention, how to turn your hobby into a successful business, licensing readiness, working with prototypes and how Dave Kappel’s Magnetic Poetry Kit sold millions.
Money Matters (Chapter 2) includes Applegate’s personal experiences with launching a business, writing a book and owing huge federal taxes – with payment due within 24 hours! This anecdote is set during a Las Vegas vacation, where her two young children “were splashing in the groovy, in-room hot tub.” Madness, to be sure. But it’s an entertaining way to introduce 39 money-saving tips that follow.
“Leave the technology to the experts,” says Applegate, a former Los Angeles Times small business columnist. “Do everything you can to position yourself as an expert in your field.”
However, that’s not to say you can’t use technology. Your website can be a powerful advertising and retail vehicle. She also advises blogging on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Applegate leaves few stones unturned when it comes to nurturing a small business.
Her marketing tips include checking out the competition, proper product packaging and creating a cool business card. Company names, brands, logos and contact info should be placed on everything.
Strapped for cash? “Rely on temps and freelancers,” she says.
Laced throughout are interviews with little-known but successful entrepreneurs (“The Telephone Doctor,” Nancy Friedman), as well as household names, including magnate Mike Bloomberg.
Whether you’re thinking about starting your own company or already have one up and running, 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business is a must read.
Visit www.theapplegategroup.com; contact Jane at [email protected]
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