Opportunity it’s all around. Take a look.

Two hundred years ago the only way you could have a cold beer was if it was winter or if you were rich and could transport and store ice.

Then came Frederic Tudor, an entrepreneur who turned ice into a business, and made a fortune shipping ice to the Caribbean and all over the world.

Technology marched on and people found ways to create ice in warehouses that did not need to be shipped. It could be stored and created locally.

Enter The Web.
Just a few years ago, John Pohlig might have hung up balloons and perhaps an inflatable gorilla outside a Honda dealership in Torrance, California to attract shoppers.

Now Mr. Pohlig, director of marketing, uses Facebook and other social media to try and increase business. Four thousand “likes” later, and Scott Robinson Honda has a huge Facebook base.

“We’re building relevance out there” he says. “Our objective is to reach as many people as possible. Over the long run, this will help build our business and our company.”

“People don’t have time to spend all day at the dealership anymore,” Pohlig notes. “We answer all their questions online before they come in, and get them right out.”

Some 41% of all car dealers now have Facebook pages, according to CNW Research.

Enter The Smartphone.
Nowadays 35% of American adults own a smartphone. One quarter of them use their phone to do most of their online browsing!

Now it’s a cash register. Your mobile phone, I mean. Remember the cash register? Back in 1883 it was a big deal invention called the “Incorruptible Cashier”. Today it’s a pocket-sized credit card reader from squareup.com that plugs into your mobile phone and makes you an instant business able to accept credit cards safely and securely from anywhere.

The cash register comes of age!

Have you?

Manuel, The Palm Tree Man

Manuel, the palm tree man is a figment of my imagination, but if you run a small business, could he be you?

1990
Manuel started his palm tree doctor business. It’s a good one to be in on this island, as there are hundreds of thousands of palm trees here and almost everyone has at least one in their garden. Manuel learned how to diagnose problems, and how to “shave” the trees so that they look spectacular.

He started off by advertising in the local magazines, putting posters up in friendly shops and dropping hundreds of leaflets into people’s letter boxes. All his business was in his own village, but he made a living.

2000
Manuel heard about the web, and decided he needed a website. He paid what seemed a lot of money to a web designer who created an online version of his leaflet. It didn’t work.
His business was doing well though – he now had a young lad working with him, who he was training to climb the palms.

He was still leaflet dropping, using the posters and adverts, and he was getting significant business from the surrounding villages. The website was a waste of time.

2010
Manuel runs a blog, called “Palm Tree Doctor.” It’s full of helpful tips and information about how to care for your palm trees. He ranks number one on Google for “Palm trees in Lanzarote,” so he gets significant traffic and a lot of comments and questions on the site. He posts videos on the blog showing some of the techniques that he uses. He’s also active on Facebook, and to a lesser extent on Twitter, where he dispenses advice and keeps a watch out for people needing any help with their trees.

Thanks to the blog, he’s now known all over the island. In fact hardly anyone knows his real last name. He’s simply “Manuel, the palm tree man.” His business now spreads to every corner of the island, and he has 6 guys working on the trees, while he runs the office and the blog.

He doesn’t drop leaflets anymore, and he doesn’t advertise anywhere.

The clients just seem to find him.

Does your small business have a social media presence?

- Courtesy of Mike Cliffe-Jones, Blogger Extraordinaire of www.mikeslife.org

“Mike’s Life is where you can stay current with the life, thoughts, successes and failures of Mike Cliffe-Jones. Never knowingly ordinary, Mike shares as much as possible about his work as an author and blogger,  as well as his enviable lifestyle on and in the oceans around The Canary Islands.”