One of my best buddies is a fellow named BJ Bueno. He is one of the best marketers, thinkers and strategists I have ever met. BJ is all about creating cult brands and how small businesses like ours can, in fact, do it without spending zillions of dollars. He write a blog called Cult Marketing […]
If you are like me, one of the greatest challenges you face is managing people. Great managers are so hard to come by. And just because you own the business, doesn’t mean you are a good manager. There is a huge difference between being a successful entrepreneur and being a successful manager. For me, managing […]
Hi! Did you miss me? As you probably noticed my “words of wisdom” have not been appearing in the last few months. Truth is, I ran out of stuff to write about. My very kind editors agreed that I could/should take a sabbatical and come back when the creative juices started flowing again. It’s hard […]
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has launched the Small Business Retail Council to represent and respond to the interests of small regional and local independent retailers. The committee will identify concerns, develop strategies and solutions, and promote and organize grassroots advocacy. The Council also will serve as a forum for NRF’s small business members to […]
By Jim Kinney | jkinney@repub.com AGAWAM — Dave Ratner, owner of Dave’s Soda & Pet City, often appears in the company of a furry or feathered pet. But later this month he’ll be with U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives when he goes to Washington to lobby along with other retailers as […]
By Al McClain At the recent eTail West conference, Dave Ratner gave a terrific presentation on how small retailers can win against big chains — real world examples from somebody who worked his way up from the bottom. First, a little background: Mr. Ratner is the owner of Dave’s Soda & Pet City, a seven-store […]
By The Republican Business Desk AGAWAM – All Dave’s Soda & Pet City locations , Agawam, Hadley, Ludlow Northampton, Springfield, Stafford Springs and Ware. Dave’s Soda & Pet City and Natura Pet Foods, is proud to introduce the Pounds for Pounds Program created to partner with four area shelters. For the month of April, every […]
By George Graham | ggraham@repub.com SPRINGFIELD – The Hampden County Correctional Center inmates’ commissary fund has continued its long-standing Christmas tradition of donating to the Toy for Joy fund. The $5,000 gift to families in need brings the Toy for Joy tally to $76,310, leaving $73,690 to be raised by Christmas Eve in order to […]
Do you nurture your employees so they can grow to be leaders themselves? Do you let your employees make decisions and yes, even wrong decisions? Is it difficult for you to give up control, or are you at the point where you are happy to have other folks help run the business? I ask these […]
This is a “do as I say, don’t do as I do” column. I was at the Summit distributors buying show last weekend and met a very nice woman who runs a pretty successful store, and has a wholesale bakery business. She was telling me about the competition moving near her, voicing her concern about […]
