How to get high email open rates

  September 30, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Have you heard marketers or bloggers brag about the high number of addresses on their email lists? I heard a blogger claim more than 5 million.…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, telecommunications

3 ways to make a great 1st impression

  September 23, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Good morning, fellow entrepreneurs. MaryEllen Tribby believes in making a great impression with 3 strategies. 1. Be generous. When you help others, “getting” will follow. It…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Harness the power of word-of-mouth

  September 16, 2020
Jerry Bellune

By Jerry Bellune   A couple of our friends were discussing a German restaurant 45 minutes from our town. My wife and I miss German food since the only place…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

School, work, COVID, oh my

  September 15, 2020

By Amanda Loveday NP Strategy   I continue to read stories about the demise of the working mother. Every night I scan my Facebook and Twitter feeds before going to…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move

Get your prospects to open their wallets

  September 9, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Does your advertising really work? It may but the $5,000 question is, does it gain the results that you want? Our friend Ruth King had a…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Ignore your balance sheet at your own risk

  September 2, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Do you only check your profit and loss statements? Your balance sheet tells you much more than your profit and loss statement, says our friend Ruth…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: accounting, advice, marketing-and-communications

Crisis Management in The Year of the Crisis

  September 1, 2020

By Erin Sanders Senior Communications Advisor with NP Strategy   As a professional crisis manager, I help organizations prepare for and avoid a variety of crisis situations. Despite all of…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Turn antagonistic foes into ardent fans

  August 26, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   A business friend occasionally calls to invites me to lunch – and I know why. Across the table he says, “You know I never call you…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Say sayonara to Someday Island

  August 19, 2020
Jerry Bellune

By Jerry Bellune   Covid-19 has given us the gift of reflection. We reflect on what we want from life. What are we willing to do to achieve it? Before…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Tax tips for emergency preparedness: securing your tax records

  August 18, 2020

With the height of South Carolina’s hurricane season approaching, the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) offers tips to help you keep your tax records safe in the event of…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc, laurenscountybuzz   Category: advice, government, on-the-move

Believe in yourself and what you offer

  August 17, 2020

By Jerry Bellune The great success thinker Napoleon Hill wrote that to sell yourself and your products or services you must believe in yourself and your offerings’ true value. Hill,…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Covid-19 opens doors to new opportunities

  August 6, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Stephanie Hall is a genius at diversifying her business strategies in this pandemic. Before covid-19 halted her event rental business, she launched a luxury brand of…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Internal Communication Tips during COVID-19

  August 4, 2020

By Jesica Johnson Mackey NP Strategy   Effective and regular communication during COVID-19 is a must for any organization. As COVID-19 changes the daily operations of organizations, so should your…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move

Charitable Considerations When Selling a Business

  July 30, 2020

By Bethany M. Griffith, CFP®, EA   Running a business is full of decision points, strategy planning, and opportunities. All of these factors remain when it is time to sell…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: accounting, advice, banking-and-finance, on-the-move, philanthropy

Why Stakeholder Engagement Matters

  July 22, 2020
Jean Cecil Frick

By Jean Cecil Frick NP Strategy   I’ve long been a fan of the insights of author Seth Godin. Last week, one of his blog posts spoke to me: I…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, on-the-move

How to insult your best customers

  July 22, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   You can call them micro-insults – the tiny things that most annoy your customers. Sadly, unless you ask, you will never be able to correct them.…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

What a rubber duck can do for you

  July 20, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   What can we do to delight and surprise our customers? What will get them talking about our companies? It doesn’t have to cost much. The rubber…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Has COVID-19 Opened the Door to Business Fraud? 

  July 13, 2020

Bauknight, Pietras & Stormer CPA Jessica Kaczor Says “Yes!”   Editor’s Note: I recently sat down, virtually of course, with Jessica Kaczor, a business fraud super sleuth and Certified Fraud…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: accounting, advice, on-the-move

Coming Soon!

  July 10, 2020

Coming Soon!

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Your best covid-19 business strategy

  July 8, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   I’ll never forget the salesman who ended his presentation by asking for the names of 3 people who might use his products. I told him he…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

How you can survive covid-19 nonsense

  July 2, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Some of us are starting to suspect there was more to the lockdowns and non-essential business shuttering than science and epidemiologist caution. Could this have been…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Seeing beyond the chair requires a clear vision

  July 1, 2020

By Demetra Moore When will the cosmetology industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic? That’s the question on the minds of  barbers, hair stylists, nail technicians and estheticians as states implement…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, on-the-move

Finding Calm in the Chaos

  June 30, 2020

By Liz Ashley The times of uncertainty we find ourselves in of late could be the best time to tap into our internal resources to help calm anxiety and cultivate…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc   Category: advice, on-the-move

What to Consider in a Buy-Sell Agreement

  June 30, 2020

By Jonathan J. Robertson, CFP® If your business has more than one owner, having a buy-sell agreement in place is vital. A buy-sell agreement is used to determine in advance…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: accounting, advice, banking-and-finance, on-the-move

Use covid-19 to strengthen your team

  June 25, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Retired university professor Preston Hardy wrote us the other day with the story of a boy in rural Ohio who became the first human survivor of…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

COVID Positive Employees: How to communicate with stakeholders

  June 23, 2020

By Heather Matthews NP Strategy   If you are a business serving the public you know this all too well: there is no playbook for navigating COVID-19.  You are making…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Build greater loyalty in a pandemic

  June 18, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Churches, civic and networking groups, book and garden clubs share a secret many business owners ignore at their peril. Which of these 2 customer groups would…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Tax tips for newlyweds in South Carolina

  June 16, 2020

While your wedding plans may have changed this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, however you get married carries tax changes you should consider before walking down the aisle. The…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, government, on-the-move

How to make more money in a pandemic

  June 11, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   The real question is not should you but what should you advertise. Take Kentucky Fried Chicken. Even after covid-19 became a pandemic, they ran ads of people licking…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Post COVID-19, What’s Your Social Media Plan?

  June 9, 2020

By Sarah Robinson NP Strategy   After three full months of navigating the coronavirus in the United States, let’s check in on how it has impacted the marketing landscape, and…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications, non-profit

5 steps to turn problems into profits

  June 3, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Has the covid-19 crisis crippled your confidence, your sales and your income? Our friend Jill Konrath says that when she faces the same thing she: 1.…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

The crucial moments this crisis calls for you

  May 28, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   The 2 most important days of your life, Mark Twain said, are the day you were born and the day you find out why. You were…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

More trends that may help or hurt you

  May 22, 2020
Jerry Bellune

By Jerry Bellune   Last week we talked about 3 trends that can help or hurt you. Here are 3 more: • A friend observed that the political bickering in…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Trends to help – or hurt – your business

  May 15, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Alert business owners and entrepreneurs need to be aware of new consumer trends that may help – or hurt – their business. • A local ad…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Estate planning in the COVID-19 era

  May 15, 2020

By Sterling Moose In uncertain times like these, COVID-19 reminds us to be prepared for the unexpected. Do you have an estate plan in place? If so, now is the…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, law, on-the-move

Managing employees in a time of crisis

  May 13, 2020

By Jean Meeks Koch, Ph.D. As we try to navigate through the uncertain times this COVID-19 pandemic has presented to every one of us and our businesses, we probably don’t…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc   Category: advice, on-the-move

2 Keys to Accelerating Your Business

  May 12, 2020

By Bill Edmonds In 1901, Charles R. Walgreen opened a drug store on the corner of Bowen Avenue and Cottage Grove in Chicago. Within 12 years he had four stores on…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, on-the-move

Video as an ongoing investment

  May 12, 2020

By Taylor Kearns NP Strategy   The Hollywood film industry runs on a system of expectations, standards and edicts that are probably pretty dissimilar from the work you or your…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

In a crisis, focus on survival, not fear

  May 7, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Our friend MaryEllen Tribby’s daughter Delanie is training to play pro tennis. She has won dozens of junior tournaments and observers say she’s the next Chris…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications

Unemployment Benefits for Furloughed Employees in South Carolina

  May 4, 2020

By Reggie Belcher and Hannah Stetson The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect all aspects of society. For many businesses and employers in South Carolina, the pandemic’s effects have necessitated tough…

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Posted in: lowcountrybizsc, midlandsbiz, upstatebizsc   Category: advice, law, on-the-move

What can you control in trying times?

  May 4, 2020

By Jerry Bellune   Our friend Jill Konrath admits it’s tempting to slip into “poor me” thinking. But we have a single option right now. We need to focus on…

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Posted in: midlandsbiz   Category: advice, marketing-and-communications