TheMiddleShelf.com

Limoncello - - just in time for V Day! [Flickr]

NOWF — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:21:15 PST

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Fisherman's Wharf, #sanfrancisco [Flickr]

NOWF — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:02:17 PST

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Palace of Fine Arts #sanfrancisco [Flickr]

NOWF — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 09:17:27 PST

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Think Big, Start Small

Maria Helm — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:05:46 +0000

We have learned to dream big and to go for our dreams. These are important messages for a successful venture, but sometimes we get carried away and don’t give our dreams time to firmly take root. I remember a colleague of mine dreamed of launching an annual online marketing conference. He had a great concept [...]

Coit Tower, Telegraph Hill [Flickr]

NOWF — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:16:24 PST

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Eeny, meeny, miny, mo' [Flickr]

NOWF — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:45:56 PST

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Ithaka by Constantine Cavafy

Maria Helm — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:20:33 +0000

I first heard of the poem Ithaka by the Greek poet C. P. Cavafy at the funeral of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I was moved when I heard it not only because it was used as an elegy, but how meaningful it is to our modern lives. When someone reads the Odyssey he/she should pay close [...]

Contagious Joy

Maria Helm — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:08:40 +0000

As the days get shorter and colder, my thoughts turn to cozy nights in front of the fire, hot cocoa, and of course, meals shared with loved ones. The air practically vibrates with good feelings–and not just figuratively. A study conducted by UC San Diego found that positive emotions–such as happiness felt during the holidays–are [...]

Leverage your website to improve your sales

Maria Helm — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:28:06 +0000

Regardless of your industry or the size of your business, you can leverage you website to find more new customers, serve your existing customers and convert more leads to sales. Here are some answers to some of our customers questions that will help you put the web to work for your business. I’m a local [...]

Online Video For Your Small Business

Maria Helm — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:30:10 +0000

Online video is a great tool for building brand awareness. It a great tool to reach new customers and increase sales. You can spend a lot of money on a sophisticated video marketing campaign, or you can pick up your camcorder and do it yourself. In fact, an unpretentious and honest-looking video may be more [...]

How To Motivate Employees To Do The Right Thing

Maria Helm — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:07:37 +0000

As a follow-up to my previous post “How to Motivate Clients To Do The Right Thing,” I thought that it will be beneficial for small business owners to motivate their employees to do the same. After all, employees are considered your business’ most valuable asset, right? You want your employees to put in a good [...]

How To Motivate Clients To Do The Right Thing

Maria Helm — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:33:26 +0000

As business owners, we want our clients to stay with our company and to pay their bills on time, or even early. While you may consider penalties or the proverbial stick for bad behavior most of the time the true motivator for clients is the carrot. Not to worry–that carrot is often inexpensive or even [...]

Have You Nudged Someone Lately?

Maria Helm — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:41:30 +0000

As I was getting ready for work one morning about a year or so ago, I was listening to Good Morning America. They did a segment on the book “Nudge”, co-authored by Cass R. Sunstein and Richard Thaler. The book was written in hopes of making small, little behavior changes to help benefit those who [...]

Thinking of Cutting Prices? Well, don’t!

Maria Helm — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:51:57 +0000

If you are contemplating on price cutting hoping to increase sales, don’t! Before you resort to lowering your prices consider these first: 1. Focus on value. Why do your customers do business with you? Do they come to you for discount prices, personalized customer service, cutting-edge offerings, products they can’t find elsewhere, convenience, innovative thinking [...]

Go Ahead, Take a Vacation!

Maria Helm — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:22:12 +0000

Yes, everyone needs a vacation, even small-business owners and solo entrepreneurs. Don’t think you can’t take one, just because you run a small company or a home-based business, and don’t feel you can’t extricate yourself from it. You can — and should — take time off if you want to stay in business very long. [...]