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☆ Within a year of completing solar-installation training, I landed a full-time job that lets me live the life I want
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Now he has a marketing job for a solar company that offers flexibility and career mobility. My career has been the wildest ride since I got my solar-installation training just a year ago. AdvertisementI graduated in May 2023 and, after a summer job traveling to Alaska to create educational programs, started job searching in the solar industry in the fall. The solar industry needs everything that any other industry needs, and the growth is happening so fast. When I envision the future of my solar career, it seems like the sky's the limit.

Persons: Aaron Nichols, —, Nichols, he's, I've, It's Organizations: Service, North American Board of Certified Energy, , SunCast Locations: Alaska

☆ Solar jobs are in high demand and have a low barrier to entry — now is the time to break into the industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Demand for solar jobs is growing in response to clean-energy goals and government incentives. Many entry-level solar jobs don't require higher education, and they offer on-the-job training. Solar jobs offer a low barrier to entry and high growth potentialHowever, the shortage means there are many affordable, accelerated solar training programs designed to help people get their foot in the door. Collardson added that people with backgrounds in areas such as marketing, engineering, and law could apply their skills to jobs at solar companies. HelieneThe solar industry can support long-term careersWhile Collardson acknowledged that specific solar jobs could grow or shrink as incentives and demands change, they said they believe there will always be jobs in the solar industry for those willing to be flexible.

Persons: Kate Collardson, Karl Wendt, Wendt, Martin Pochtaruk, Collardson, it's, Pochtaruk Organizations: Service, US Department of Energy, View Research, Corporations, House, Industries, Middle, Goodwill Industries, Companies Locations: Middle Tennessee

☆ 2 founders share how developing a personal brand elevated their businesses — and 3 tips for building your own
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Building a personal brand as a founder can help your company appear more trustworthy. "Building a personal brand connected to your business is more important than ever because people won't do business with anyone they don't trust," she said. In a 2021 survey , four in five Americans said companies were more influential when their founder or executives had a personal brand consumers knew about, trusted, and followed. BI asked Mai and Gotlib for advice on building a personal brand as a founder. Connect your personal and professional selvesCertain aspects of a founder's personal life may also resonate with their company's audience.

Persons: SBOs, —, Quynh Mai, Mai, she's, Anouck Gotlib, Gotlib, It's, what's, it's, nauseam, I'm Organizations: Small, Service, Belgian Boys, BI, Belgian Locations: Brooklyn , New York, Belgian

☆ 3 ways small-business owners can use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, plan campaigns, and create a cheap marketing strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She said ChatGPT helped her cut her launch timeline to about a month and see new possibilities for marketing. Here are three ways these small-business owners have experimented with AI to support their marketing strategies. In October, Alert used ChatGPT to help her conceptualize and organize an influencer event, so she didn't need to pay for an event planner. To help with user research, she asked ChatGPT for ideas about the types of users she might target. ChatGPTSmith said she likes to approach working through ideas with ChatGPT as if she's chatting with a colleague.

Persons: ChatGPT isn't, SBOs, —, Candice Smith, Dion Lamar Mills, Smith, Marina Guastavino, ChatGPT, Guastavino, Marcela Rogante, ChatGPT Smith Organizations: Small, Service, French Press, French Press Public Relations

☆ Remarketing is a low-cost and effective advertising strategy — small-business owners share the 3 tips they swear by
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Remarketing to customers who have previously engaged with your brand can lead to new purchases. Insider talked with the Glassers and Karasin to learn about remarketing strategies for small businesses on a budget. The Glassers agreed that showing new aspects of their brand to customers is an effective strategy when remarketing. "If you're wanting to start running remarketing ads, have a few different types of content and a few different kinds of audiences and see what's working and what's not," she said. To monitor ad performance effectively, Karasin suggested that nontechnical business owners get support in setting up their pixels and attribution tracking.

Persons: remarket, SBOs, —, Lindsey, Courtney Glasser, Lindsay Glasser, Lindsey Glasser, Grey, Joe Karasin, Karasin, it's, what's Organizations: Small, Service, PPC, YouTube Locations: remarketing

☆ Small-Business Owners Share How They Hired Their First Employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This article is part of "Starting Up Your Small Business," a series exploring steps small-business owners can take when starting out, transitioning, or scaling up. Harris, Green, and Moseley shared their best advice for hiring to scale a small business. The best way they've found to identify contractors who'll meet their needs is by asking for referrals from other business owners and getting references from each candidate. "Whether they're charging a lot of money or they're charging bare minimum, we want to make sure that they are a match to our business," Harris said. Find people who care about your missionSmall-business owners should look for employees who understand their company's mission.

Persons: —, Tracy V, Nancey Harris, Harris, they've, Green, Stephanie Moseley, who's, Moseley, she'd, didn't, Pizza, Blake J Discher, he'd, who've, aren't, it's, Emma Wannie, MSGS Moseley, you've Organizations: Service, Nickelodeon, Harlem, Marco's, Firefly Studios

☆ 3 tips for mastering niche-community marketing, according to small-business founders who used private Facebook groups to drive sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Insider talked to Soomro and Gatsos Young for advice on how other small-business owners could successfully market in smaller online communities. Danish SoomroSometimes this is very straightforward — for instance, when marketing Devi, Soomro joined several entrepreneurship groups, since those include his target audience. "If you're in a huge community, you might not even get noticed," Gatsos Young said. To find the right groups, Soomro said, you can search Facebook by keyword or look online for top groups for your audience segment (e.g., "top groups for female entrepreneurs"). Sales is an inherent benefit of being part of these communities, but you shouldn't approach them with the intention of getting business, Gatsos Young said.

Persons: SBOs, —, Danish Soomro, Soomro, Devi, Laura Gatsos Young, Gatsos Young, it's Organizations: Facebook, Small, Service, Devi Locations: Danish

☆ How 2 successful small-business owners use YouTube for cheap, sustainable, SEO-driven marketing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Starting a YouTube channel can be a heavy lift but can have big marketing benefits. "My clients joke around that if you have a question, I've probably got a YouTube video on it," Liszewski said. Maximize the SEO benefitsOne of the best ways to grow your YouTube channel — and business — is to tap into its SEO potential. While monetization can be a nice perk (and help offset any costs associated with creating YouTube videos), Liszewski said it shouldn't be the primary goal for business owners using YouTube as a marketing channel. Charon swears by batching her YouTube content creation.

Persons: SBOs, —, Mariah Liszewski, Liszewski, she's, Mariah, Dielle, Charon, she'd, She's, I've, soley, she'll, shouldn't, batching Organizations: Small, Service, Mariah Magazine, YouTube

☆ 4 small-business owners who swear by podcast interviews explain why they're a marketing strategy worth prioritizing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Insider talked with small-business owners to find out how to make the most of podcast interviews for marketing. Share your story instead of sellingGlogovac said you shouldn't go into podcast interviews with the mindset of pitching your product or service. Gunn likes to alternate between doing podcast interviews and writing online articles about similar topics to give customers multiple touchpoints. D'Angelo links to some of her favorite podcast interviews on the services page of her website, in part because it helps create warmer leads. Get yourself out there on a regular basisIt's important to give podcast interviews time — and do them consistently — to see results.

Persons: SBOs, —, Paul Gunn Jr, Michelle Glogovac, Lisa Haukom, Glogovac, Bryan Clayton, he's, Clayton, Gunn, Candice D'Angelo, Halle Alessia, D'Angelo Organizations: Small, Service, Kuog Inc, Vox Media, Halle Locations: Alabama, Florida

☆ I tried every marketing tool to build my small business but nothing worked until I went all in on SEO — within 2 years, I was making $1 million in annual revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This article is part of "Marketing for Small Business," a series exploring the basics of marketing strategy for SBOs to earn new customers and grow their business. Aside from the fact that trying to be on every distribution channel was exhausting, it also wasn't working. He encourages businesses to focus on a single product, a single target audience, and a single distribution channel until they hit $1 million in revenue. My advice for others who want to choose a single distribution channel is that it has to feel expansive, like something you want to do. I simplified my funnelYour marketing distribution channel is not synonymous with your funnel.

Persons: Meredith Noble's, Noble, SBOs, —, Meredith Noble, Alexandra Lustig, Dan Martell, it's, It's, we've Organizations: Small, Service, PR, Google

☆ 5 tips for small businesses that want to try SMS marketing, from a founder who saw her profits double
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Short-message-service, or SMS, marketing can be a powerful way to engage customers. Insider talked to Vasquez and the marketing consultant Danielle Reid to understand what small-business owners should know about setting up a successful SMS marketing campaign. Reid said it's a good idea to regularly remind customers that they can opt out of SMS marketing if they no longer want you to contact them. Offer something of valueBefore she schedules any text message, Vasquez asks herself: Is this providing value? Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents said they learned of an interesting sale or promotion from a brand's text message that they wouldn't have known about otherwise.

Persons: SBOs, —, Ashley Vasquez, Zachary Dripps, Vasquez, Danielle Reid, Reid, Britney Kelsey, they've, Dripps, it's, that's Organizations: Small, Service, Los Locations: Los Angeles

☆ 3 tips for creating branded merch your customers will love, from small-business owners and marketing experts who have used it to build vibrant brand communities
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

When it comes to growing a business, there's definitely a wrong way to do branded merchandise. Insider spoke with small-business owners and marketing experts about how to use branded merchandise effectively. Your brand should still be incorporated subtly on any merchandise you're giving out or selling to customers, Hofman said. The Anti-Diet PlanUse swag as an incentive for marketing or sales objectivesSimply having customers use your branded merchandise can provide low-cost, word-of-mouth marketing. Sharon LevinKassis has used branded merchandise to encourage customers to share their experience with Product League on social media.

Persons: SBOs, —, there's, Amanda Hofman, Bryan Clayton, Vistaprint, Hofman, Moriya Kassis, Julia Guignard, Kassis, it's, Clayton, Danielle Reid, Reid, Sharon Levin Kassis, She's Organizations: Small, Service, Product League, League Locations: swag

☆ 2 female small-business founders share how they cracked the code on successful lead magnets — a win-win for your customers and company profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Known as a lead magnet, the gift should be tied to the value your company offers. Develop and market a lead magnet like any other product or service. Insider spoke with small-business owners about what they'd learned about making a lead magnet successful. When brainstorming ideas for lead magnets, Louise considers what made her opt in to other companies' lead magnets. Lead magnets can also be an effective tool for segmenting and reengaging existing email subscribers, Louise said.

Persons: SBOs, Jenn Robbins, Ashley Louise, Louise, they'd, Robbins, what's, they're Organizations: Small, Service, Google Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ 4 things to consider before scaling your small business if you want to avoid crashing and burning, according to founders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Consider your tolerance for riskAs a fairly risk-averse founder, Rabinovitch Consky always knew she wanted to find a gradual way to grow rather than raise money to scale as fast as possible. Marnie Rabinovitch Consky, the founder of Thigh Society. "It was always very clear what I was leaving on the table by not taking investment," Rabinovitch Consky said. "We don't even realize how much we've internalized this single narrative — it can weigh on our brains and make us feel less adequate as founders," Rabinovitch Consky said.

Persons: —, Marnie Rabinovitch Consky, that's, Rabinovitch Consky, Sarah Adler, Adler, Monisha Bajaj, I've, Bajaj Organizations: Service, M, Times

☆ I'm a small-business owner in the blockchain industry. I relied on 3 tactics to lead my company through a 'crypto winter' and other volatility.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

With a few strategic moves, the cofounder was able to grow the company during industry uncertainty. During times of "feast," we learned to become agile and adaptable, quickly capitalizing on opportunities for growth and expansion. While we originally sought to work with enterprises, "crypto winter" was taking a huge toll on the industry and we were no exception. For example, during the latest downturn, we spent time building up our accelerator program, Web3 Launchkit, which helps founders learn all the pieces to launch a successful crypto company. Some people were happy to forgo regular cash to receive compensation in a combo of crypto and equity, for example.

Persons: —, Altif Brown, Filecoin, Dor, Web3, we've, We've Organizations: Constellation, Service, Constellation Network, US Department of Defense, Enterprises

☆ When COVID-19 lockdowns shuttered our restaurant, we launched merch, jarred our house-made sauces, and launched a wine club to make money. This year, our sales are up over 80%.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

This article is part of "Small Business Strong," a series highlighting the resilient work of small-business leaders to overcome barriers and reach success. There's additional revenue they create that's harder to pinpoint, like when someone comes in to pick up their hot sauces and ends up buying lunch, too. Finally, these additional revenue streams contribute to our own resiliency as small-business owners. Kenzie, one of our cofounders, previously worked for a small business that sold camp gear, and they had a whole process for launching and promoting a new product. Sure, sometimes we end up working after-hours to add these additional revenue streams, but we do it because it's fun for us.

☆ When flooding forced me to shut down my brick-and-mortar wine bar, these 3 steps were key to turning my passion project into a 6-figure business
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

During our two years in business, we had taken off, even being named "Best Wine List" by Chicago Magazine in 2009. A pipe explosion had caused our entire space to flood — a flood I soon found out insurance wouldn't cover. So I started a blog called Love Cork Screw about wine and things going on around town. This understanding — combined with the fact that I was a terrible writer — led me to launch an online radio show, also called Love Cork Screw. I was talking this out with a friend when I had an aha moment: I should launch my own line of Love Cork Screw wines.

☆ 3 ways I'm surviving inflation as the owner of a men's clothing brand — without passing the cost on to my customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Bearbottom, a men's clothing brand, has costs 15% to 20% higher than they were before 2020. Its CEO and founder told Insider how the small business found ways to be leaner across the company. Since then, we've seen significant price increases in nearly every aspect of the business: fabric, shipping, warehouse materials, and advertising. At the peak of price hikes, we saw cost increases of close to 40% compared with 2020 for our best-selling product. and asked what we could do on our end to make things easier for them and maybe lower the cost.

☆ I own a small health-and-wellness company in Ukraine. Here are 3 things I've learned about leading through a crisis.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Victoria Repa is the CEO of BetterMe, a health-and-wellness platform in Ukraine. This article is part of "Small Business Strong," a series highlighting the resilient work of small-business leaders to overcome barriers and reach success. I expected to face a lot of challenges as a business leader, but a full-scale war wasn't one of them. On February 24, 2022, I woke up to a dreadful new reality for my Kyiv-based company: Russia had invaded our country. But part of that was also because I shifted our mission from just succeeding as a company to helping Ukraine succeed as a country.

☆ Customers saved a New York bar after it nearly shut down over rising rents. Its owner learned community is key to building a successful small business.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

These five small-business owners have built online brand communities that bring customers together. A community founded by Neir's Tavern in New York City helped save the business from closing when it faced financial difficulties. Experts identified 3 key factors to building a brand community that businesses can rely on for support. Gordon, Jones, McLoughlin, and other small-business owners shared their tips with Insider. But if your business does need help, McLoughlin says to just ask.

☆ 4 things every small-business owner should consider before launching a brand podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Brand podcasts can bring in new customers and nurture relationships with existing partners. They give technical advice on cost, production, and careful considerations for your launch strategy before starting a brand podcast. Insider spoke with five small-business owners to learn how they ran successful brand podcasts while prioritizing their actual businesses. Olivia Dreizen Howell, a cofounder of Fresh Starts Registry and the brand podcast "A Fresh Story," swears by the free Spotify for Podcasters editing tools. Leverage your network for launchIt's easy to lose momentum if you launch a brand podcast and don't quickly see some traction.

☆ Podcasts can help small-business owners build their brands and win new customers. Here's how.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Insider talked to small business owners who say brand podcasting has helped them build trust and credibility with customers. The channel is a cost-friendly way to connect with prospective customers, as well as other industry leaders. Podcasts can help you scale your businessMany small-business owners see podcasts as an important way to acquire loyal customers. Courtesy of Tania BhattacharyyaBhattacharyya added that she uses her podcast episodes to help guide prospective customers through the sales process. Bhattacharyya had a podcast episode on the subject that she was able to send her.

☆ Small-business owners say they've seen higher sales, skyrocketing click-through rates, and better brand awareness by using user-generated content in 3 smart ways
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Small-business owners and marketing pros say user-generated content boosted their brands on social. When users post content about a brand on their own channels, it gets the brand in front of new audiences. Insider spoke with several small-business owners to learn how they source user-generated content and use it across channels to maximize their marketing efforts. Use it for more than just organic social mediaReposting UGC on social media is an obvious way to fill your brand's social channels with engaging content. "Small-business owners should capitalize on creating mock UGC in-house to fill the gaps between their professional content and true UGC," Kutting said.

☆ 3 steps small-business owners can take to build successful (and affordable) influencer collaborations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Small-business owner Molly Fedick and consultancy owner Alexandra Shadrow discuss influencer marketing. Molly Fedick founder of Buzzkill Wines Molly FedickMolly Fedick, founder of nonalcoholic beverage company Buzzkill Wines, saw her direct-to-consumer sales jump 327% when she started investing heavily in influencer marketing. Alexandra Shadrow, founder of Trailblaze Consulting, said she's relied heavily on influencer marketing for a recent client, live resale app Jamble. Shadrow and Fedick shared with Insider the best practices they've used to ensure their influencer collaborations are successful — while staying within a small-business budget. Finally, rather than sending out hundreds of influencer packages, Fedick recommends focusing on creating deeper relationships with 20 to 50 people.

☆ How small-business owners can use LinkedIn as free advertising to attract customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Erin Greenawald | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The consultants Catarina Rivera and Tania Bhattacharyya use LinkedIn to market their services. Tania Bhattacharyya, the founder of the thought-leadership and brand-messaging consultancy Lumos Marketing, said she'd accessed other valuable marketing leads through LinkedIn, including public-relations and speaking opportunities. The good news is if you want to give LinkedIn a go, it doesn't have to be all that hard. This is true even for business owners who don't plan to engage much on LinkedIn, Bhattacharyya added, given how highly Google ranks LinkedIn profiles on search. "Your first six or seven words are really important for when you show up in search results or when someone sees your comments on someone else's post," Rivera said.

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