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Make Your Small Business a Winner: Advice and advisors

by Anna Hipkiss

Running a small business can be lonely. You may have a number of staff, but no one to talk to. You may be an IT expert, with not a clue about marketing. You may worry there’s not much money in the bank, and keep hoping for the best.

All of these situations are common, and can be solved with a good advisor. Some people don’t like asking for any kind of advice, in which case they are heading for trouble, along with the people who don’t know they need it till it’s too late.

One solution to these problems is a business buddy – a colleague or someone you know who also runs a small business, and has complementary skills to you. So the IT expert might pair up with a marketing specialist, for example. They can offer each other their specific skills, but just as important, they can be a sounding board for issues and problems. They can prompt you to seek professional advice when you both see a problem that neither of you can solve.

Professional advice does not have to be expensive, and can come free from any business organisation you belong to, or the government, for example. You have little to lose by asking, and what you gain could be as big as the survival of your business.


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