What do HP, FedEx and Google have in common? They are market leaders who were either born or grew exponentially during past depressions and recessions. Their secret? They all believe in the principle that “within every crisis there are great opportunities”.

You see in a downturn, there are those who look beyond the obvious “How do I reduce my costs?”, possessing the discipline to ask better questions, such as: “How do I keep and attract more customers in a downturn?” If this sounds like you, here are three practical tips to get some answers and perhaps find some of those hidden opportunities for yourself. continue reading »

Everyone dreams of landing that big client: the fame and fortune and open doors to a whole new world of opportunity. If only you could land that first big fish…But as Oscar Wilde so wisely stated, “There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”

The reality is that working with large corporate clients can indeed be very rewarding. However, if you are not wholly prepared, it can prove an overwhelming strain on your existing resources, practices and infrastructure.

So what can you do to ensure that targeting a larger client invites interesting challenges, but not an equal number of unpleasant surprises? continue reading »

As an agile business owner, there’s never been a better time to harness web technology. Turn any corner and you are faced with better and brighter ways to handle your finances, manage client relations, and even beef up your marketing – a veritable cornucopia of possibilities. Ahhh, if only it were that simple …

Which ones will deliver real bottom-line value? How can you identify the best types? Which ones are just hype? With the sheer volume of information to sort through, not to mention opinions and options, simply ignoring the whole idea of web tools can actually seem rather appealing.

Let’s have a look at one of the latest – and practically effective – types of web tools, and how it has the potential to deliver real value. continue reading »