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Written by: Tim Berry See the complete article at Bplans Strategy is what you’re not doing. My favorite metaphor is the sculptor with a block of marble—the art is what he chips off the block, not what he leaves in. Michelangelo started with a big chunk of marble and chipped pieces off of it until it was his David. At the real-world level—my favorite—strategy is like driving and sex: we all think we’re pretty good at it. But simplifying, doing today what will seem obvious tomorrow, is genius. I say the best strategies seem obvious as soon as you understand them. Furthermore, it seems to me that if they don’t seem obvious after the fact, they didn’t work... Think of it as the heart of the business, like the heart of the artichoke. It’s a group of core concepts that can’t be separated: problem, solution, market, and identity. Don’t pull them apart. It’s the interrelationship between them that drives your business. Each affects the other three.

From Kabbage People often assume that small businesses are at a disadvantage when competing with big companies. After all, big companies have big company budgets for advertising. They have big economies of scale that enable them to do things faster and cheaper. They can offer lower prices that small businesses cannot match. The idea of competing with big companies is one of the reasons why people think it’s so hard to be a small business owner. But the truth is more complicated. Yes, big companies have certain advantages that come from being big. But especially today, with the great online tools and resources that small business owners can use to make their businesses run better, it’s often possible for small businesses to beat big companies at their own game. The people at Kabbage talked with a few small business owners and business consultants about the best strategies for how small businesses can level the playing field and compete more effectively with big companies.

Remember Qwikster? In September 2011, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings decided to spin off the DVD section of his business from the streaming service and name it Qwikster. Users revolted--big time. Learn how to  benefit by avoiding these CEO's mistakes.   

Palo Alto Software has some tips they would like to share with you today! We’re careful about what marketing tools we use and make sure that every one serves a real purpose for a fair price. This is a list of marketing tools that we  actually  use and recommend. We think you'll like them too. Click here to read more »