The Results Are In: Small Business Owners Confess What Keeps Them Up at Night

So, what's keeping YOU up at night? We asked more than 1,600 small business owners what causes their insomnia, and we got some interesting answers.

So, what's keeping YOU up at night? We asked more than 1,600 small business owners what causes their insomnia, and we got some interesting answers.

Poll Results

What's keeping you up at night?

Gas prices? Really?

Okay, we admit it–we didn't expect to see that gas prices are such a big concern. But come to think of it, those high prices at the pump aren't exactly helping any of us relax at the end of the day–especially businesses worried that gas prices will affect their customers' purchasing power.

We expected to hear that more small business owners are concerned about staying ahead of the competition—like Kathy Hernandez (www.kchristieh.com), who says, "I need to stay competitive by learning new technologies. It's tough not having an expert in the next cubicle over!"

Not surprisingly, the overwhelming concern is "Getting more customers." Wally Cheng (www.wallysfoodco.com) tells us, "Acquiring more customers is definitely the number one issue that keeps us up at night. Just like any other business that produces its own product, the key to success for us is achieving scale. Grow customers and revenue, and expenses take care of themselves."

A Cure for Insomnia

Methods for getting customers have evolved dramatically in recent years. Although old standards like the yellow pages still produce results, small businesses are also tapping into new technologies to find new customers.

Here's our take on small business marketing methods:

What's hot

• Post on blogs–or start your own–and include a link to your site
• Sell your products on eBay even if you have an online store
• Join networking sites like LinkedIn
• Offer incentives for customer referrals
• Get into search results

5 minutes ago

• Hire a street corner sign twirler
• Paste your face on a bus bench
• Litter the Internet with pop-up ads
• Buy local radio ads
• Put flyers on windshields

Old favorites

• Word of mouth (the number-one tried-and-true method cited by the entrepreneurs we talked to)
• Offer coupons or other discounts
• Distribute business cards to everyone you meet
• Advertise in the newspaper
• Put yourself in the yellow pages (the paper kind—yes, some customers still use them!)

Nighty-Night, Sleep Tight

As Kimberly Goodwin (www.theopensourcecollective.com) sums it up, "Ultimately, small businesses need to be innovative and flexible in both their products and services and how they market themselves." So, why don't you measure your marketing plan against our list for a read on your own business's pulse? Try some of our "hot" ideas, and maybe you can finally get some well-deserved rest.

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