BUSINESS PODCASTS BY OSBN® Members

As entrepreneurs, we are constantly looking for new and different ways to collaborate and promote ourselves. For the most part, this is a good thing. A lot of the times, it’s about trial and error –throwing that pasta to the wall and seeing what sticks. However sometimes we tend to spread ourselves too thin by saying yes to almost anything and everything.

Opportunities come and go and when you've come across a potential one, it's important to go through these points before coming to a final decision.

By Karen Swyszcz, Consultant and Blog Coach at MakintheBacon. Follow her on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram: makinthebacon1.

Partnerships may at times be harmful to a small business, but if approached wisely it can turn into a key contributor to the success of a business.  

Which type of partnerships will benefit a small business:

1. Choose partners that complement your offerings
2. Choose partners that are skilled in turning a situation into a win/win
3. Choose partners that are go getters and that can make things happen 
4. Choose partners that seek their interests, but that care for your own interests as well 
5. Choose partners that are transparent and that can easily communicate how they feel

By Grace Nasralla, owner of e-presence Consultants Inc and founder of OSBN

Having a new baby and the care that comes with it can sometimes feel overwhelming and stressful.  It’s your new bundle of joy, your heartbeat; your everything.  But then life and baby care begins to happen; you feel like you are on a constant treadmill. 

Iwant to reassure all moms – new or not so new listening to this podcast, hearthis loud and clear. It’s imperative that you take care of yourself. It’s notselfish, you shouldn’t feel guilty.

Whenyou travel on an aircraft, you are always reminded in case of emergency youshould mask yourself first and then mask your young child.

Here are some easy and simple ways for self-care.

Globalization is the act of connecting and integrating people, companies, and governments of different nations, through international trade and investments; powered by the use of technologies. However, is the small business making use of that trend? 

By Grace Nasralla, owner of e-presence Consultants Inc, founder of OSBN and founder of ED2ALL

Negotiating - Part 1, gives an overview of the interest-based negotiation model by Fisher, Ury & Patton.  It starts with preparation, including knowing alternatives so that one is not too soft or too hard, knowing how to separate people from the problem, staying firm on interests but flexible on positions, and engaging in brainstorming options for mutual gain.

Prioritizing what should get done in a day is a skill that anyone can acquire with a little bit of organization and discipline. However, learning to stay focused and on goal requires determination and persistence.... 

People are often averse to negotiating, seeing it as an ‘unprincipled’ game of winning or compromise.  But like it or not, most of our interactions involve the exchange of value.  And the model of Principled Negotiation can really help us succeed with client and other relationships.

The book Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury and Patton created a little revolution when it was published in 1981.  At the time, the dominant model was what the book refers to as the Hard bargaining approach, or positional negotiation...

An advisory board is an informal version of a board of directors chosen by the owners.  It has no authority, it just offers assistance as requested.  There is some debate on the value of advisory boards, but not on the value of advisors.  So founders could just seek individual advisors.  That’s a good first step, to test which advisors you respect and work with best, and who are available to you.  

A 2015 study by “Smart Insight” indicated that 80% of internet users use smartphones. One important 2016 business trend is the increase in use for mobile apps in business.  Is your business ready to reach out to mobile users? Do you, as a business owner, realize the importance of reaching out to mobile app audience?

3 Ways To Reach Mobile Users

1. Get a customized mobile app
2. Business directory apps
3. Content

The later two ways are more cost effective and doable for small businesses to reach mobile users.  There are plenty of apps that provide local directory listings.  Find the app that is wide spread in your area and subscribe to get your business listed there.

(For a Greater Toronto business listing I would recommend to download and subscribe to OSBN mobile app “Business Directory”: iphone: http://apple.co/1LC8X6Z  Android:  http://bit.ly/1OHOy7t)

By Grace Nasralla, owner of e-presence Consultants Inc and founder of OSBN