15 ways to promote your company

Looking for ways to promote your business? You don't have to have the budget of a General Foods to get the message out to your customers.

Here's an article from the Small Business Administration (SBA) that outlines great ideas -- every single one of them the type of "real marketing" that can make a difference.

15 Foolproof Ideas for Promoting Your Company includes ideas such as:

• contests
• newsletters
• demonstrations
• seminars
• premiums
• speeches

Take a minute to check out what else SBA offers.

Sharon Hill, the Phoenix entrepreneur who is currently in beta with her ambitious undertaking, YoreTown, was the first to hammer home to me the importance of SBA (Small Business Administration) resources.

After all, she points out, they are free, smart, have deep experience and really know their way around starting a business. (Plus, it can't hurt to be sure you are on the right side of the government from the start).

If you have always poo-poohed government agencies as having only canned advice, take another look.

SBA Online Tools Use Tops 125,000

Sure, it's straight from a press release (dated Feb 25) but still...if you are thinking you are ready for your own biz give it a try.

More than 125,000 entrepreneurs ...have used the U. S. Small Business Administration's newest online assessment resource ... two online assessment tools, the "Small Business Readiness" and the 8(a) Business Development assessment tools....


The Small Business Readiness assessment tool helps prospective entrepreneurs determine their level of preparedness...evaluate their skills, characteristics, and experience as they relate to
starting a business.

Based on their scores, entrepreneurs are directed to the SBA training
resources that support the identified needs to improve business
preparedness. The Small Business Readiness assessment tool is available on
the SBA's Web site at http://www.sba.gov/assessmenttool/index.html or by
clicking the "Assessment Tool" icon under the spotlight heading on the SBA
home page.

The 8(a) Business Development assessment tool was launched in October
to help small business owners decide whether they are suitable and eligible
for the SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program. The program helps small
disadvantaged businesses compete in the U.S. economy through business
development. Like the small business readiness assessment, the customized
8(a) Business Development assessment tool directs entrepreneurs to targeted
training and resources online. It too is available online at
http://training.sba.gov:8000/assessment.

Small Business Facts

Some facts from the newly-released Small Business Growth: Searching for Stylized Facts, a report from the US Small Business Administration.

[Why did I choose these facts to reprint? Because small business really IS small business - one to four employees. It's important for folks trying to sell local online advertising to remember just how strapped resources are at most small, local businesses]

• Only three percent of small businesses are fast growing firms (defined as having a 50 percent or more increase in annual employment with at least a five-employee increase)
• Most firms start in the 1-4 employment size class and do not grow beyond this size class.
• Fast growing firms had higher rates of shrinkage in employment following their large one-year employment increase. The year after fast growth, 55 percent of fast growers declined in employment versus the universe’s 25 percent.