Portland and Vancouver Small Business Blog

Free Investment Funding for Pacific NorthWest Small Businesses

Michael — Tue, 25 May 2010 05:05:11 +0000

I know this sounds like a scam but it really isn’t. Over the last few years I have worked with a number of Pacific Northwest companies who have been beneficiaries of a fabulous matching federal grant program. The program is administered by the Northwest Trade Adjustment Assistance Center and it assists companies that have been [...]

Sangria Startup

Michael — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:19:36 +0000

My friends Maria and Magdy for the last year have been in the process of starting a company to produce a wonderful Spanish wine drink called Sangria. It’s made of premium wines infused with various fruit juices and is quite delicious. They are not quite in production but I have tasted the pre-production bottles and [...]

Tradeshow Tips

Michael — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:52:51 +0000

I just got back from visiting the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) and Kioskcom trade-shows in Las Vegas. While I saw lots of great gadgets and eye candy unfortunately I also saw plenty of poor marketing! Imagine if you will, a crowded convention center with hundreds of booths. The noise and flashing of lights is tiring [...]

Churches and Non-Profits Also Need Marketing

Michael — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:18:27 +0000

Its not always viewed this way but all organizations that want to attract people need to consider some form of marketing. Marketing is an investment not just an expense. Frankly it is a stewardship responsibility to take marketing seriously. Members, congregations and donors expect their donations to be wisely used to the benefit of the [...]

Be Single Minded in Your Marketing

Michael — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:50:42 +0000

Many of us small business folks are guilty of throwing in everything but the kitchen sink into our marketing. We are concerned about perhaps missing something important that our prospects need to know. Unfortunately when we clutter up our messaging we end up communicating nothing. Think about Verizon Wireless. They are a great example of [...]

A Few Broken Links?

Michael — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:24:10 +0000

A new version of WordPress came out recently and I decided to upgrade only to discover that the data base that is running on this site was a bit old. I had to figure out how to update the data base and something went not quite right with the result that a few of my [...]

Communicate Your Business More Effectively With Graphics

Michael — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:35:57 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I was in Boulder Co for the annual Duct Tape Marketing coaches gathering and we had a few really good speakers. Lesa Snider, who I have met before, is a really good presenter. She is an evangelist for iStockPhoto.com and is the author of Photoshop CS4: The [...]

Michael Thompson Awarded Certified Market Coach Accreditation

Michael — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:25:03 +0000

Last week I was at the Duct Tape Marketing annual gathering in Boulder Co. As some of you know I have been a Duct Tape Marketing Coach for 3 years. In that time I have worked with numerous companies and seen some good results. Due to the success with clients and the level of [...]

New Logo for Small Business in Portland OR

Michael — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:40:54 +0000

Some of you were kind enough to help a client of mine pick a new logo for his company. You may remember that I posted a link to a survey that showed his current logo and two other alternatives he was considering. The three he wanted to have compared were: Logo C was his original logo and [...]

Windows 7 Upgrade and iPhone

Michael — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:51:22 +0000

Looks like the problem with my USB ports and Windows 7 also affects my ability to update my iPhone. The other night I attached the iPhone and was notified there was a firmware upgrade available. Unthinkingly I clicked “yes”. A few minutes into the upgrade the process froze and left my iPhone unusable! Not a [...]