Iowa
Metrics on a Message
Image by DaveCrosby via Flickr That was a very nice message you sent out regarding vascular screenings~~thanks for your time! Robyn Thanks!!!! It is wonderful; this is just another great reason why more businesses should be Chamber members! Keep up the great work. Angela Sometimes it’s about both the message and fulfilling the client’s needs.…
Read MoreThe Power of Social Media
Let’s talk about social media and what it can do for a small business. One day about two months ago I was on twitter and listening to what other businesses were doing. I found out that Intuit was awarding grants to small businesses. I began following @lovealocalbusiness right away. That led me to the site…
Read MoreTell A Story
I’ve got a car to sell. I could run a short ad in the local paper and hope someone gets past the age of the car and calls me. Or I could list it on Craiglist and make flyers and put around town. I know I need to tell a story and give this car…
Read More5 Reasons to Volunteer
Oh boy – someone else asking me to do something for free. I bet that’s what you are thinking. Yes, we can use some volunteers at the Franklin County Historical Society. We need people to help create tours and lead them, to clip newspaper articles and obituaries, to file things, to work in the museum,…
Read MoreSelling the family farm
My dad is in the hospital. Has been for almost a month now. He’s got diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. In the past 4 days his mental state has rapidly deteriorated and his blood sugar is low. The nurse tells me the low blood sugar or perhaps a urinary tract infection can cause the…
Read MoreDreaming in Real Life
Image by nickwheeleroz via Flickr We have two flower shops in our community. One is closing. The two shops share orders from their wholesalers – because individually they can’t afford it. So with shop number 1 going out of business, it may very well put enough pressure on shop number 2 to go out of …
Read MoreSocial Media for Real Estate People
Image by John T Pilot via Flickr How do you help a real estate agent and broker use social media to improve her business – and ultimately her bottom line? Facebook: Create a fan page. Build your fans from your local county – but reach out to other surrounding counties. Start with Chamber of Commerces,…
Read MoreSave Our History
What if you could make a difference and save your local history all at the same time? You can. And it’s not hard. You just have to want to be involved. I’ll tell you a story and share an idea. In my community there was a group of people in the 1970’s and 1980’s who…
Read MoreThe Last Trip
This may be the last road trip with my parents. I had appointments in Kansas this past week. I like to take my parents along. Normally they stay in the hotel while I go out for my meetings. One of the reasons I moved back to Iowa was to help with their care. At first…
Read MoreLessons from a cat
Lessons I’ve learned from my cats: Trust Someone. We all need someone we can trust. Love someone when they need it. Cats are great at just being there, loving you no matter what. Always reach for joy. Watch your cat – they know how to make themselves happy. Sleep when you are tired. Cats always…
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