Cornerstone Business Solutions > Articles by: Chris Hunter

Increase Your Prices Without Pain

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Pricing

Most Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) undervalue themselves and consequently have prices that aren’t genuinely high enough. The prices may cover the costs of the product and maybe even the marketing costs plus a small profit, but they could still be...

Is Buying a Franchised Business Right for You?

by | Nov 16, 2015 | Franchising

There are a lot of franchise opportunities available that cover almost every conceivable area of the commercial world. They offer the chance to get into a business of your own with products, systems and promotions that have been tested and proven before you start. A...

Is Owning a Business Like Owning a Boat?

by | Nov 22, 2015 | Selling a Business

Ask any boat owner and they will tell you the two best days in a boat owner’s life are the day the boat is bought and the day it is sold! Notwithstanding all the enjoyment that comes from owning a boat on a sunny day there is an abundance of hard work and many...

Is That Price Increase Necessary?

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Pricing

Costs go up in a seemingly never-ceasing process. Suppliers raise their prices so the businesses that purchase from them raise their prices. Those businesses that purchase from the businesses that have just raised their prices have to raise their own prices. And so it...

Is Your Sponsorship Working?

by | Jan 31, 2016 | Sponsorships

The growing cost of advertising has forced many smaller enterprises to look towards sponsorships as a means of getting their brand across, especially for local businesses who view sponsorship as a contribution to their community as well as an avenue of promotion. The...

Leadership – Give it a Try

by | Mar 30, 2016 | Leadership

When the leadership is right and the time is right, the people can always be counted upon to follow to the end and at all costs. – Harold J. Seymour We often use expressions like “A born leader” without worrying too much about just what a leader is....

Make a Small Firm Look Bigger

by | Jan 24, 2016 | Marketing Strategies

Small firms are often penalized for their size. They don’t get as much attention from governmental authorities as bigger firms, nor are they likely to be considered as important when it comes to matters like making capital equipment purchases or tendering for...

Make Sure the Price is Right

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Pricing

Pricing is something that most small businesses do in a way that’s less than scientific. Usually the owner makes an estimate of what the costs are of providing a product or service, then adds a fixed percentage and calls it “profit”. The result is a...

Make Your Direct Mail Work Harder

by | Jan 17, 2016 | Direct Mail

Direct mail is a powerful marketing tool, and when it’s used creatively it can be extremely cost effective. The biggest mistake to make when planning a direct mail effort is to allow it be uninteresting. Direct mail pieces that are big on product features and...

Make Your First Impression a Good One

by | Nov 8, 2015 | Image

We’re getting less formal about business every year. Offices that once had rigid dress codes now tolerate jeans and sports shirts. Thanks to teleworking and teleconferencing it’s possible for executives to attend a business meeting from home wearing a bathrobe. But...

Make Your First Impression a Good One

by | Mar 26, 2016 | Meetings

We’re getting less formal about business every year. Offices that once had rigid dress codes now tolerate jeans and sports shirts. Thanks to teleworking and teleconferencing it’s possible for executives to attend a business meeting from home wearing a bathrobe. But...

Make Your Next Presentation a Great One

by | Mar 31, 2016 | Speeches & Presentations

It happens every so often – you’re called upon to give a presentation and suddenly stage fright begins. Relax. There are lots of things you can do to make your next public speaking job a winner and once you’ve learned them presentations will never be a problem again....

Manage Your Own Big Event

by | Jan 14, 2016 | General - Marketing

Many businesses decide to host an event of some kind — it could be a dinner for clients or perhaps a picnic for team members and their families. Whatever the reason for your big event might be, it pays to plan ahead and make sure it achieves its objectives....

Market Your Business with an eBook

by | Jan 24, 2016 | Marketing Strategies

An eBook is just what it sounds like – A book that’s published online and exists in an electronic format that can be downloaded from a website. Anyone can write an eBook, including you, and use it to market their business and its products. An eBook can be...

Marketer, Sell Thyself!

by | Jan 14, 2016 | General - Marketing

There’s a lot of confusion about just what constitutes marketing. Is it advertising? Yes. Is it pricing? Yes. Is it selling? Not often enough. A lot has been said about all the new ways of marketing and how businesses have to change to reflect a new focus on...

Marketing to the Aging Baby Boomers

by | Jan 19, 2016 | Marketing Plans

The baby boomers have been setting consumer trends for half a century now, and as they move through their 50s and into retirement, they will continue to do so. We are likely to see a significant change in consumer behavior for this demographic – consumption patterns...

Maximize Your Company’s Media Exposure

by | Jan 25, 2016 | Media Relations

When the news media come knocking on your company’s door, it often represents a golden opportunity to get your message across in a very credible way to your customers, your investors, your employees and your potential partners. Are you ready to seize the moment?...
National Do Not Call Registry

National Do Not Call Registry

by | Mar 26, 2016 | General - Operations

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about receiving or refusing telemarketing calls at home. The following Internet address and toll-free number can be used to obtain more information and to register your telephone number(s) on the national database:...

Networking — Get Out and Do It!

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Networking

Owners of all kinds of small businesses are learning the value of networking. There’s a growing realization that doing well in business is often a matter of looking around and seeing what others are doing right and wrong – and doing the right things as often as...

Networking for Beginners

by | Jan 26, 2016 | Networking

Every time we attend a business function such as a training course, a trade show or an annual conference we have the opportunity to network. In fact, most of us network frequently, although we may not think of it exactly that way. Networking is the social part of...

Office Politics:  Deal with Them!

by | Dec 30, 2015 | General - Human Resources

While there will always be some gossip and rumors, office politics does not need to be a negative experience. Office politics can be used to advantage if done properly. Let’s face it: office politics are inevitable. Wherever people gather, they will gossip, spread...

Overcome the Skills Shortage with Branding

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Recruiting

The “skills shortage” is in the news and likely to stay there. What it means for employers is that the present rate of expansion in most industries will increase the level of competition for much-needed skills in the marketplace, and as skilled employees...

Overcoming the Skills Shortage

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Recruiting

The skills shortage is about to be felt across most industries and yet very few businesses have a training plan in place to counteract its effects. Compounding the problem of replacing existing skills is the probability of changes to so many of the factors that will...

People Development Need Not be Expensive

by | Jan 2, 2016 | Training Programs

There are some highly skilled occupations that require up to one-third of the person’s time to be devoted to training or maintenance of skills. This can just as easily apply to an automotive electrical engineer as it can to a developer of complex computer...
Prepare Well When Changing Your Business Name

Prepare Well When Changing Your Business Name

by | Jan 9, 2016 | Branding

Business names are features of our urban landscape. We see them in lights on top of buildings, on billboards and over franchise outlets. Any time we pay attention to a particular business name, we trigger a set of memories and associations. If we have had good or bad...

Protect Your Intellectual Property

by | Mar 26, 2016 | Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property or ‘IP’ is a hot issue. It’s defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “A product of the intellect that has commercial value” and by Commerce-database.com as “any product of human intellect that is unique and un-obvious with some value in...

Protect Your PC Against Computer Viruses

by | Feb 24, 2016 | Viruses

Most businesses have reasonable levels of virus protection in their computer systems at the office. Anti-virus software and a firewall are becoming a basic standard these days and provided these defenses are kept updated they work pretty well. This protection may scan...

Protecting Your Businesses from Hackers and Viruses

by | Feb 24, 2016 | Viruses

As more and more companies are establishing an online presence, they are increasingly opening their systems up to attack by hackers. Following some basic procedures can minimize the possibility of this happening. Just as advances in technology provide us with fresh...

Recruiting a Top Marketing Manager

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Recruiting

While there are a lot of people with marketing qualifications, it is a matter of finding the right person for your business. Personal qualities such as passion and good commercial sense are among the attributes you should look for. When the time comes for a small to...

Reducing Costs to Boost Profits

by | Dec 25, 2015 | Profit Improvement

One of the big secrets of multinationals is their constant striving to become the lowest cost producer in their field. These low costs feeds straight through to their bottom line, and is a technique that can also be used by small companies. For businesses wanting to...

Resumes: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

by | Dec 30, 2015 | Job Search Strategies

Although resumes are every candidate’s gateway to an exciting new career, employers must be aware they could be letting in a Trojan horse. Sadly, evaluating a resume not only includes determining which candidate is the most suitable for the job, but also weeding...

Retaining Good Team Members in a Small Company

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Retention

Good team members are hard to find and hard to keep. Although the economic downturn has led to some downsizing, talented people still have their pick of good jobs. There are likely to be increased talent shortages over the coming years, as baby boomers retire and are...

Running Effective Meetings

by | Mar 26, 2016 | Meetings

A lot of people hate meetings. They have too much experience of long meetings that meander on forever and never seem to reach any conclusions that can be acted on. Team members may resent meetings because they are already working to deadlines and the last thing they...

Selling a Business?  Keep it Quiet!

by | Nov 22, 2015 | Selling a Business

Business owners wanting to initiate the sales of their business usually turn to a professional for advice at some step of the way. Exit planning in itself is a complex process and should have begun well before the business goes on the market, although experience shows...

So What if They Were Fired?

by | Jan 1, 2016 | Recruiting

You’ve got a hole in the team and need the right person to fill it. What happens if someone applies for it and you find that they were fired or laid off from their last position? They might be just right in every other way but this one fact has understandably...
So You’re in Charge. Now What?

So You’re in Charge. Now What?

by | Mar 31, 2016 | Leadership

The first-time business owner has a lot to learn and not much time in which to learn it. Whether you have a team or one or twenty it’s always a bit lonely at the top. Here are a few things that can help you settle into the top dog’s role. Get Ready for the...

Chris Hunter, MBA

Chris’ combination of academic credentials, career experience and temperament ideally suit his calling as a business development advisor. Clients say he has a mind for business and a heart for service.
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