the Portal

my window on the world: small business, communications, social media, and beyond

the Portal header image 4

Entries Tagged as 'small business'

Optimize Your Small Business: Part 5, Putting All the Email Pieces Together

September 25th, 2010 · No Comments · small business

Ways to make email simpler, more effective, and more humane. Ideas on how to use email more productively and how to know when to walk away or pick up the phone.

[Read more →]

Tags:

Optimize Your Small Business: Part 4, Build a List and Check It Twice

September 13th, 2010 · No Comments · small business

Today’s Optimize Your Small Business post is about building a quality email list you can build a business around. Take the time once, it’ll pay dividends later.

[Read more →]

Tags:

Optimize Your Small Business: Part 3, Rethink Your Email System

September 6th, 2010 · No Comments · small business, technology

This post is aimed at small business practitioners who are looking to become more effective in their daily practice. We’ll talk about basic email applications and how to handle your Inbox. If you’ve been in business for awhile, you’re probably muddling through with something already. Here’s a way to make a new start and work smarter in future.

[Read more →]

Tags:

Optimize Your Small Business: Part 2, Best Basic Apps

August 30th, 2010 · No Comments · small business, technology

Are small businesses ready for Web 2.0? In many instances, yes! Some of the best software solutions for small business are “in the cloud.” Here are some recommendations, and a few cautions.

[Read more →]

Tags:

Optimize Your Small Business: Part 1, a Backup System That Works

August 23rd, 2010 · No Comments · small business, technology

For my small business to survive and grow, I needed to get a lot smarter. Specifically, I needed to quit avoiding new technologies and embrace them. Or at least figure out which ones fit my lifestyle and biz model.

[Read more →]

Tags:

What WOW! Customer Service Looks Like

March 27th, 2009 · No Comments · small business

What does varsity-level customer service look like? Follow these links.

[Read more →]

Tags:·

What Apathetic Customer Service Looks Like

March 27th, 2009 · 3 Comments · small business

House of Blues (HoB) Houston squanders an opportunity to provide some 90 to 100 communicators and marketers with a WOW! experience in customer service.

[Read more →]

Tags:··