If you’re like many of us, you may have decided that watching the news is not in your mental health’s best interest. From angry rants to misinformation, it’s difficult to understand the benefits these days. That’s why focusing on positivity and feel-good stories can help your business stand out and create a sense of connection with your audience.

But what kind of “feel good” content can you provide? Read on to find out!

The Grandview Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual GRANDYs Award Dinner on Thursday, October 17th, 2024. This year's event was extra special as the Chamber introduced four new award categories that were voted on by the public: Business of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, Community Champion, and Excellence in Leadership.

If you’re like most businesspeople, finding ways to get names on your emailing list can be exhausting. We all want tons of fans and followers. There’s value behind a list of people who are interested in what you offer. Most businesses start their list with people they know. But if you want to turn your email list into marketing gold, you need to get strangers (who will become potential customers) interested in you. That’s no easy task.

It’s the kind of activity that most of us avoid because the thought of it seems so overwhelming.

If you’re a business owner or feel responsible for a business (regardless of your actual job title), it’s not unusual to feel stuck. No, I’m not talking about the golden handcuff-kind-of-stuck where because of the cost of living, you can’t get off the work treadmill. I’m talking about feeling stuck from a mental perspective—completely uninspired.

Like the business version of writer’s block, when you’re stuck, you’re not feeling creative, and your business is paying the price for it. Yes, the simple answer to when you feel this way is to take some time off—a vacation or, if you’re able, a sabbatical.

But that’s simply not feasible for many of us.

So, what do you do to bring back that loving feeling? To feel the excitement you used to feel about your business? To see things from a new perspective again?

No, this isn’t another article about how you can turn your hobby into a side hustle. But having a hobby can be great for your existing business. It may not feel like you have enough time for a hobby, but here’s why you should prioritize hobby time (or time spent cultivating one).

We are thrilled to announce the addition of several talented individuals to the Grandview Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors!

It’s important to recognize the early signs of burnout and mental health struggles. Ignoring them can have disastrous consequences for you and your business. It can lead to decreased productivity, poor decision-making, high employee turnover, and a toxic company culture. Moreover, mental health struggles can seep into personal relationships, further isolating you from the support you need.

Trust is the cornerstone of customer relationships, driving sales and fostering loyalty. Yet, building that trust swiftly, especially in a competitive landscape filled with countless options for consumers, can be hard. Establishing credibility and rapport takes time and effort. (It’s the one thing you can’t buy at Costco.) But strategic actions can accelerate trust building. By focusing on transparency, communication, and consistently exceeding expectations, you can cultivate trust quickly and effectively. If you want to build trust with current and potential customers, check out these important values.

For the past two years or so, it feels as if economists have been avoiding the words recession and inflation. No one wants to hear those terms. They’ve been pointing to economic equations and data to show we’re not “technically” in a recession because unemployment is low or the inflation rate is lower than it was this time last year.

But if you’re feeling the pinch in your business, an economic turn of words means little to you.

So, what can you do to combat this word no one wants to talk about?

As a business owner, you are well-served by collecting emails and running an email marketing campaign if for no other reason than to remain top-of-mind with your customers. When they’re getting emails from you with exciting news and great deals (who couldn’t use those these days?) they’ll get used to hearing from you and seeing your name.

But you want to do more than just be recognizable and remain top-of-mind. You want your emails to drive purchases. Even if you don’t sell online, emails are an excellent motivator and nurturer for in-person purchases—if you can get recipients to open them.

If you are in a client services business (especially one where your clients might return over and over), one of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success is to understand who you want to work with and who aligns with your skills and talent.

If you’re just starting off, or you’ve fallen on hard times, it’s tempting to work with anyone and everyone. But you’ll end up sabotaging yourself in the long run when you choose to work with the “wrong” clients.

After all, there are limited hours in the workday. If you’re plugging just anyone into those spots, there may not be room for the clients that you find the most desirable.

Beginning marketers often think a Facebook group is an ideal way to bring their target market together. And while we’re not discounting the truth behind that, most novice businesses make a critical mistake when creating a Facebook group for the first time.

Their mistake negatively impacts their ability to engage their target market. And it’s such a common mistake that it needs to be addressed before we give you suggestions on engaging your market through this medium.

Most businesses that start a Facebook community place their business at the center of the community. And why not? That’s the point, right? You want more business so it should be about you.

Yes? No.

Summer is a season of change for many small businesses. School's out, vacations are in, and customer behavior shifts as people embrace the warmer weather and longer days. For some businesses, it’s a time of enormous revenue; for others, it can herald a long dry spell.

But with a bit of planning and creativity, summer can also be a season of growth and opportunity no matter what type of business you are in (except maybe snow plowing).

Here are a few ideas that you can start thinking about today.

We see you. You're juggling inventory, payroll, marketing... the list never ends. And we keep sending emails about events you don’t have time to attend, right? While these events can be incredible opportunities to learn and grow professionally, we understand that “getting together” isn’t in everybody’s calendar.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t get solid return on investment when it comes to your chamber membership. Even if you're busier than an internet troll during election time, there are plenty of ways to squeeze every drop of value out of your membership.

Even with costs escalating, consumers are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on a company's values. Sustainability and transparency are no longer just buzzwords – they're key factors influencing brand loyalty and attracting a new generation of eco-conscious customers.

The business landscape is noisy and crowded for most of us. But keeping your customers happy and engaged is crucial to your success and their return. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a powerful toolkit to elevate your customer experience in ways you might not have thought of. And it’s not about replacing your employees with robots.

This is not a comment on the actual item or service you sell but in how you present it. If you’re not using your audience’s language and talking to a need they’ve identified, you’re fighting a marketing battle, and you need to change that today.