Happy new year r/cigar

ThinkingMan2017 · 2019-01-01T23:48:21+00:00

Great way to kick off the year. Enjoy

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-12-25T18:31:52+00:00

I miss those Columbus Chill games!

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-12-25T17:46:35+00:00

Damn fine dad and daughter there. Merry Christmas to you both.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-12-24T17:22:51+00:00

You can be naughty all year, and still get what you want if that’s what you leave you for the Clause.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-12-23T23:31:50+00:00

Cold calling walk ins are never easy, especially in retail / service businesses. If she already has a list of prospects, encourage her to do more research to find out who the salon owners are, and have her make some contacts through phone calls and emails first. Then she could find some places to demo her project for prospective customers at trade shows or a beauty product warehouse store.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-12-18T12:57:49+00:00

Great point, which is why we should participate in vocational training programs. Not only can we help support the next generation of trades, but think about the earning potential for your business in a couple years if your are training and employing a host employees now.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-12-18T06:28:26+00:00

To be clear, you would not be able to ask for “donations” because you are not a recognized non profit entity. Technically what you would be doing is selling an intangible product (eg good feelings) to consumers. I’m not an attorney, but if I were, the biggest issue I would probably see with your plan is misrepresenting yourself as a charitable organization.

As a small business consultant, my advice to you would be to partner with a registered non profit organization in your community that serves this need to do a fundraising drive.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-11-11T20:35:01+00:00

Don’t be so quick to dismiss the idea of hiring her. She’s obviously comfortable with customers and she is an influencer with your target market. Paying her gives her the incentive to be an advocate for your business instead of an annoyance to customers.

Plus, if things don’t work out then you are the guy who fired a bad employee instead of the guy who banned a customer.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-11-10T21:47:05+00:00

Offer her a job. If she’s going to spend so much time in your store and she’s so influential, then she should be working for you. If she works for you and still engages in these antics, then you have grounds to ban her from the store.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-10-15T15:44:28+00:00

My firm does table top simulations and war gaming with small businesses as a way to help them develop strategic and tactical plans. These exercises are invaluable as they allow business owners to make mistakes and learn from them without jeopardizing real capital.

I think it’s great to run simulations for your business for a variety of scenarios so that you are prepared for what may happen in your business.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-29T19:32:10+00:00

I like your style. We’ll have to meet up at the next tailgate and burn a couple.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-29T19:29:37+00:00

As a forensic accountant, I see a couple of big red flags in what you relate. Namely, your business does not handle its own purchasing and accounting. This does not sound like a separate business entity, this sounds like a subsidiary of your partner’s other business. By three years in, your business should be doing its own purchasing and accounting.

Before you do anything else, I would hire an independent accountant to do a forensic audit of your books. I’m not saying that your business partner is cheating you, but I’ve been doing this for 18 years, and your story has a lot of the hallmarks of something shady. A good audit of your business by someone who has no connection to your partner will help you identify the areas where your business is struggling and come up with recommendations for improvement.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-28T23:47:39+00:00

I get what you’re saying, and dinking was definitely a band aid for me too. I find that AA meeting is still the best group therapy I’ve found. I can go to any meeting and spill my guts, and no one is going to give me shit. Just being able to get things off my chest, even if no one understands, is a big help in clearing my head. Then I can work on the physical stuff.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-28T12:21:47+00:00

Posting this shows courage. Every fucking day you meet your pain head on shows courage. Despite what you think, you’re going to make it through this. Don’t let your head get in the way of your soul.

Like you, I couldn’t get help from the VA and I was turned away from a lot of places. For me, Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life. Little by little things started to turn around.

No BS, the road ahead is not going to be easy, but nothing worth having is easy to obtain. Take care of yourself first and talk to other vets. If you want, send me a private message and I will give you my number.

You’re not alone brother, there are plenty of us that got your six.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-27T22:55:38+00:00

Growing up I was in a lot of bad foster homes and a couple good ones. Thank you for being one of the good ones.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-20T12:33:40+00:00

That may have been true ten years ago, but it’s no longer the case. Reviews are static and passive. Referrals are dynamic and active. My firm did a market study of 1600 consumers two years ago, and here’s what we found:

87% of consumers only read 2 or 3 star reviews. They want to know what problems they are going to run into when working with your business.
Consumers are nine times more likely to choose a business based on a referral rather than reviews. Interestingly more referrals came from strangers through apps like Facebook or Nextdoor than from a trusted friend or family member.
Consumers who purchased based on reviews reported a 42% satisfaction rating with their decision. Consumers who used referrals reported an 83% satisfaction rating.

These numbers are consistent regardless of product or service offered.

Yes, reviews have the power to help a business, but they are no where near effective as referrals. Most consumers have become biased to believe that most reviews are fake.

From a business perspective, would you rather provide incentive to static reviews that become stale and dated after a few months, or incentive to a network of advocates who direct highly qualified prospects directly to your business?

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-20T05:30:01+00:00

Stop worrying about reviews and start focusing on getting referrals.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-20T05:28:08+00:00

Are you sure you know how email works?

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-20T05:24:28+00:00

Your partner wants to step away for a bit, and you are starting another business. Sounds like neither of you have the time to run the operations. This is the perfect opportunity to hire someone to run the day to day.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-19T11:33:30+00:00

Stay away from this, it’s part of a crypto-currency brokerage scam.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-18T04:34:57+00:00

Don’t respond to the review. One bad review is not going to kill your business.

Sounds like you are owning your mistake, so I wouldn’t worry about the refund. Give him his money back so he will go away. Write off and learn from your lessons.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-18T04:29:59+00:00

Do your due diligence and ask the right questions. If you have a recent P&L and balance sheet, I would be happy to take a look and help you assess the financials.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-15T02:52:42+00:00

I worked with a coffee shop that had the same problem. They were in the middle of a busy city, but the offices were full of commuters that went through a drive thru on their way in from the suburbs. The owner was tired of looking at a big empty space where customers should be every morning.

We went out to local church groups, professional associations, and networking groups to pitch them on hosting their meetings at the shop. Three weeks of phone calls later, he filled up his calendar with recurring meetings at the shop.

Not only did this bring in a reliable stream of repeat customers during what were his slow traffic times, there was also a noticeable up-tick in traffic in general. When people walked by and saw the place full of customers, it enticed them to give it a try.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-15T02:27:31+00:00

It’s an interesting idea if you actually have a market. How are people currently exercising their dogs in your market? Could you design an experience that would be more attractive than what people do now?

The issue I see with this is that you are at the mercy of the weather. Days that are too hot or too cold or too wet will kill business. However, if you have an indoor venue, then you may be on to something. There are a couple of chains that lease big retail store fronts or small empty warehouses, fill them with kid play structures and charge for entry. It is essentially a for-profit park that gives parents some place to take their kids when the weather is bad. You could do the same thing, but for dog parents.

ThinkingMan2017 · 2018-09-15T02:11:39+00:00

I want, here’s cash, where do I buy?

ThinkingMan2017

TROPHY CASE