2018 Small Business Articles of the Year

by Dr Greg Chapman

With 136 posts this year on the Australian Small Business Blog, it is now time to reveal the top post as ranked by Google for page views.



3. Business Owners – It’s always your fault
When it all goes pear shape, even if it’s not your fault, it is.

2. Steve Job’s Top 10 Tips for Business
If you are going to listen to anyone, listen to the master.

But the number one business article, rated by views, is:

Attention Small Business Owners – You can check out any time you want – but Can You Ever Leave?

by Dr Greg Chapman

Owning a business is a 24/7 job. Even when you are away from the office or store, it is hard to switch off. Almost everything you see somehow reminds you of something you need to do in your business.

You might be reading a book, and the hero enters a store that is selling in a way that gives you an idea for your business. The author may not own a store, but is likely to be very creative and wants to make their hero’s time in the store memorable in some way. Of course you would like that for your customers.

It is like the science fiction writer who dreams up all sorts of new devices to create a wonderland for avid science fiction fans. The funny thing is many scientists and inventors like science fiction, and are often inspired by the creativity of the science fiction writer who may have little or no science training. The scientist who reads about the idea then becomes intrigued by it, then obsessed, until they actually work out how to make it happen. There are numerous documentaries on inventions inspired by programs such as Star Trek.

How One Business Spends 50 cents to Make $100

by Dr Greg Chapman

The best earning marketing dollars are spent on your customers rather on advertising where the money goes to some media mogul. Consider this example:

Coles is currently offering to pay the GST on feminine hygiene products under the banner “Why should you be taxed for being a Woman”. Why are they doing this and will it work?

This is a fairly emotional appeal, but as a male I can be objective on this (he says quickly ducking to avoid sharp objects being propelled at him by the females in his life).

Clearly many women feel this is an unjust tax. It was very controversial when first introduced, although the then opposition and now government has done nothing to remove it.

2018 Ad of the Year

by Dr Greg Chapman

Each month over the past year, the Australian Small Business Blog has presented ads or items about advertising which illustrated specific strategies that are critical for success. Now, as voted by the number of views as recorded by Google, here are the top three ads of 2018.

3. Local Ads When you have a local business, and there are far fewer people you are likely to offend if you mock well known people.

2. Innovation If you have a product which is basically the same as your competitors, perhaps you can change the packaging to create a point of difference.

Do Your Customers Fight Like Cats and Dogs?

by Dr Greg Chapman

One of the most popular articles I have ever written was Are Your Customers Cats or Dogs? In it I warned that businesses can have both Feline (High Value Customers) and Canine (Budget Customers) but you need to ensure that you keep them apart. After all, we know what happens when you put Cats and Dogs together. (I am talking about market segmentation!)

If your segmentation is poor, you find that your customers are looking over the fences and seeing that the grass appears greener on the other side. Perhaps your budget offer might appeal to the customers you previously thought to be premium.

In market segmentation, I often like to compare Qantas and Jetstar. Both, of course are owned by the same company, but one is cheap and cheerful, and the other is focused to the business traveller. While the business traveller is still cost conscious, they want reliability and flexibility. Jetstar does not offer this, with delays far more frequent.

Ad of the Month – Deceit?

by Dr Greg Chapman

This month rather than an ad, I am going to lift the veil on how they are made. Obviously you want to show off your product in the best way possible, so here are some tricks people use in food advertising to enhance the appearance of their products.

The Value of Your Big New Business Idea

by Dr Greg Chapman

I am often approached by people with a big business idea who want someone to pay them for it. How much is your big business idea worth?

Back in the early eighties, I worked for a year in the US for another company. Whilst there, I noticed that they had home delivered pizza. This was especially great in the winter when there was snow on the ground and I did not want to go out. It was when I first heard the Domino’s pizza slogan – delivered in 30 minutes, or its free!

This service was so taken for granted, that they talked of those dreaded areas in town which were pizza delivery no-man’s lands- outside the delivery area for any pizza shop. You wouldn’t want to buy a house there!