It seems obvious as part of your marketing plan to stay "top of mind" with clients, referral sources, and with prospective clients. Your approach may be different for each group but it remains important to have a system for staying in touch with these important people. It may be a spreadsheet or calendaring function that reminds you to reach out to certain people at certain times. It may also be a regular newsletter or other communication you send out. You want people to think of you first when seeking services/products in your industry and it's important to keep your name "top of mind."
The Wall Street Journal had an interesting piece today on online networks as financing options for small businesses. As banks get tighter with their requirements for funding, small businesses and their lenders get more creative... sites such as prosper.com, lendingclub.com, and zopa.com were listed as "person-to-person lending networks". These sources are typically good options for smaller loan amounts but are quicker and more practical in times such as these.
I mentioned a few posts ago some changes to the Family Medical Leave Act. Due to some questions I have received, I wanted to also clarify that many small businesses don't fall into the purview of the State and Federal anti discrimination and equal protection laws. The federal FMLA only applies to employers with greater than 50 employees and the Washington State version applies to employers of 100 or more employees. You will see laws consistently created this way to ensure that truly small businesses have the opportunity to select the people they want in their companies.
Another important note is that federal, state and local laws differ with respect to protected classes. Up until recently the City of Seattle protected against discrimination for sexual orientation but the State of Washington did not. If you employed people outside of the Seattle city limits, you were able to discriminate based on sexual orientation; otherwise, not. It is important to know what the most restrictive provisions are and ensure you understand how they apply to your business.
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