Strategy

How to Calculate Your TAM (Total Addressable Market)

How Big is Your Potential Market, Really?

Whether you’re a startup or an up-and-running business, you should know what your total potential market opportunity is for your products or services. I’ve coached many companies over the years, as well as judged several business plan competitions, and I’m always surprised by how most business owners can’t confidently tell you their total market potential....


Before I Started My Business I Wish I’d Known…

If you’re about to start a business, you’ve probably read several how-to books looking for advice on how to be successful. While researching is a great first step, there are some lessons that you won’t find in a book. You need to hear from business owners who have been in your position, who started a...


The Importance of Setting Goals in Business

Why is it important to set business goals? Goals are powerful—they can focus attention on achieving desirable outcomes. In business, one desirable outcome would be profitability. Profitability does not happen without making sales, plus correctly managing expenses. Employees prefer to know what management expects them to accomplish, and goals provide that direction. The human brain...


8 Quotes to Motivate You to Make a Plan and Stick to It

Forget about a “case of the Mondays.” Most weeks, it’s Wednesday when you start to wonder why you’re doing what you do. To get you through hump day with a little more pep in your step, we’ve gathered eight inspirational quotes from some of history’s greatest minds. Maybe they’ll inspire you to stick with what...


Want to Build Brand Loyalty? Remember, Everyone Loves Free Stuff

I have something very embarrassing to admit. Last Christmas we received a fruit basket from our local Japanese restaurant. It was a thank you for being one of their “best customers,” according to the card. Admittedly, we must rank up there. My wife and I pretty much get takeout from there every week. At another...


Choosing effective KPIs for your business

12 Tips for Choosing Effective KPIs

With the ease of data collection in today’s technological landscape, it’s easy to get bogged down in performance metrics. But "more numbers" doesn’t always translate into a better understanding of what your company needs.


Lessons Learned: Lack of Market Research Sank My Business

This article is part of our “Business Startup Guide” – a curated list of our articles that will get you up and running in no time! Zanade Mann has always had an entrepreneurial streak. It all started when she was 8 years old: The young entrepreneur started selling candy bars door-to-door, and never lost the bug....


The 4 Biggest Business Mistakes of All Time (and What You Can Learn From Them)

When I was starting out in business I was naïve. Strike that—I was clueless. In fact, I knew less than nothing about running a business, and I didn’t even know that. Back then, in my 20s, I dove headfirst into everything I did, arms and legs flailing. I was all heart and no homework. I...


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