Dakota Angler & Outfitter opened as a fly-fishing shop and guide service in the historic Black Hills in 1996. After working there all throughout high school and college, Hans Stephenson bought the business and set out to modernize it in 2006. He shifted to online sales, which in turn helped…
Modern consumers are cynical, so developing trust with customers can be a challenge for businesses. Trust is the sum of repeated and positive interactions. Fortunately, social media makes it easy to engage your audience in meaningful ways at scale. According to research by Edelman, 39 percent of people are unlikely to…
With the world going digital, brick-and-mortar business owners intuitively know that in order to take advantage of this trend and stay relevant, they must bring their business online, as well. But how exactly do you go local online? And where do you start? With tons of possible business profiles and…
New York fashion model and Broadway fire-eater Carol Perkins began hand sewing dog beds, robes and toys while recovering from a life-threatening brain tumor. “She was homebound and looking for a positive distraction,” marketing director, Sarah Lovingood, says. “She started caring for her neighbor’s dogs while they were away and…
Social media is a land of many opportunities for startups. Since today’s consumers and business buyers use social channels to find companies they can trust, social media is an ideal way to find and engage with prospects and customers. Successful startups are using social media to not only reach more…
Wisconsin Cheese Mart has been on Old World Third Street in Milwaukee since 1938. The old German enclave is still home to a few other food shops, and President Ken McNulty values their neighbors. Their storefront is the heart of the business, helping build their mailing list and attracting tourists…
Tim and Cindy Tyler travel the backroads of Mississippi to curate the best handmade foods, art and home decor that their home state has to offer. The result is The Mississippi Gift Company, their labor of love and pride. The couple got the idea for the shop in 1993, when…
Will the ever-growing popularity of online shopping cause brick-and-mortar businesses to die a slow death? Forbes, Huffington Post, Quora and essentially every digital business hub has taken a stab at predicting what will happen to brick-and-mortar businesses as e-commerce grows exponentially. In the earlier days of the e-commerce explosion, many…
Today’s major companies can provide many great lessons in public relations; most of them by showing you exactly what not to do. In fact, one of the best PR teachers is actually one of the worst offenders: Uber. The ride-sharing giant even has even earned itself a page on The Guardian with what was (at…
Why is Google My Business (GMB) important for startups and small businesses? In today’s COVID-19 world, getting visibility online as a small business is more important than ever. Though there are a wide variety of SEO tools out there that can help you, I’ve found that setting up a Google My Business (GMB) is…
