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.
What's keeping you up at night?
| Getting more customers | 42.7% (724 votes) |
| Gas prices | 13.5% (229 votes) |
| Getting a web site | 11.6% (197 votes) |
| Overall economic outlook | 8.5% (144 votes) |
| Real estate bubble | 6.1% (103 votes) |
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."
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:
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.