Spring Reset And Refresh

Spring Reset And Refresh

by | May 12, 2025 | Sound ADvice

This week I’ve got the contents of another Sound ADvice newsletter that my subscribers received this year, about a month ago.  If you’d like to get them hot off the press, let me know, Email Scott@ScLoHo.net. They are free and usually have business tips along with a link to get even more information.  Wednesday’s is when they hit your inbox most weeks except for a few holiday weeks.

First, here’s the content of the April 16th newsletter:

Spring cleaning isn’t just for closets, garages, windows, and lawns – it’s a great time for businesses to clean house, reset priorities, and set the tone for a strong second quarter. Suppose you’re running a service-based or retail business. In that case, this is a critical time to streamline operations, re-engage your staff, and strengthen customer connections before the busy summer season kicks in.

As business picks up and consumer habits shift with the seasons, Q2 offers a valuable window for growth-minded owners to pause, reflect, and fine-tune. With tax season winding down and a few months of the year under your belt, now is the time to ask what’s moving the needle and dragging us down.

This kind of seasonal reset isn’t just about tidying up – it’s about creating focus and momentum, especially before you and your staff start dreaming about summer vacations and “mental resets”. Small improvements in how your team works, how you present your brand, or how you connect with customers can have a big cumulative impact. Whether you’re dealing with employees or hiring challenges, operational inefficiencies, or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, now is a good time to simplify and strengthen.

If you’re in the mood for a little sprucing up, click here to see 4 Spring Cleaning Tips for your Business. It’s something that no one likes to do, but once completed, your business will look, feel, and maybe even smell better.

Now many of the businesses that I work with have their slow time of the year in the first quarter, when it’s cold outside.  For them, a lot of the clean-up, reset, and refresh happens in January or February.

However the majority of the business people I know, don’t take the time to pause and do this exercise because they are so darn busy year round.

I urge you to take the time, either now, or in the near future to do this clean-up, reset, and refresh exercise once a year, starting this year.

 

Fast Class On Buying Advertising

Fast Class On Buying Advertising

by | Apr 14, 2025 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

A few weeks ago I had 10 minutes to give a complete presentation to a couple dozen business leaders.

After about 3 minutes of sharing who I was and my background, I jumped into the subject of advertising.

Not to promote what I do, but just to give them a quick framework on what THEY should do when considering buying advertising.

Here’s what I shared:

First step is KNOW YOUR BUSINESS:

WHO are your ideal Customers and WHY?

WHAT Characteristics of YOUR Business makes your customers your FANS?

There’s also financial numbers that you should know about YOUR business.

You have to take the time to actually stop, think and write this stuff down.

Second step is KNOW THE AUDIENCE of the Advertising Medium that is offering to sell you advertising:

WHO are their readers/viewers/listeners?

WHAT Characteristics of their readers/viewers/listeners is a match for your organization’s ideal customers/clients?

I know that there are some people who will try and get you to buy advertising from them that just doesn’t make sense because you are not a good match for each other.

Third step is YOUR WHY:

  • WHY are you looking at spending money?
  • WHAT are the results you want to achieve?
  • WHEN… what’s the timeline for achieving those results?

It’s extremely important for both you and them to be in agreement of this.

Fourth step is a realistic plan involving:

Messaging

Matching expectations with budget

Fulfillment

Growth steps

I know, this is a lot more involved than creating an ad, but unless you really, really take the time to consider all of this you could blow a bunch of money.

And even though it might go without saying, I said it anyway in my presentation… The Trust factor:

TRUST is the key to all of this:

Think like a real person, a potential customer.

People will not buy from people or companies they DON’T Trust.

EVERYTHING You and Your People say, do and deliver has to be Honest and Truthful.

That includes your Advertising and Marketing Messages.

If you would like my help going through these steps with your business, contact me.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Hiding in Plain Sight

by | Apr 7, 2025 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Subscribers to my Free Sound Advice Newsletter received this information last month.  If you’d like a free subscription, just email me: Scott@ScLoHo.net and ask.

As a business owner, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind. But the real magic to keep your business moving forward comes from stepping back and asking, “What’s next? What can I do that’s different, unexpected, clever, or more efficient?”

Comedian George Carlin once joked, “I think someone could make a lot of money if they set up a little stand at the Grand Canyon and sold Yo-Yos with 500-foot strings.” It’s a hilarious image but also a profound lesson: opportunities exist where others don’t think to look.

The best business ideas often come from reimagining something familiar in a fresh way. That’s how Uber transformed transportation, how Airbnb disrupted hospitality, and how local coffee shops thrive despite Starbucks being on every corner. Innovation isn’t always about inventing something new – it’s about looking at what’s already there and making it better, more convenient, or more exciting.

Most small businesses start by filling a need, but too many get stuck just maintaining the status quo. Instead of waiting for challenges to blindside them and force change, business owners should always be on the lookout for the next opportunity or ways to improve what they’re currently doing.

You don’t have to change everything overnight, but committing to even one new idea, improvement, or competitive advantage each quarter can keep your business moving forward.

The next big success in your business might be HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT – you just have to see it before anyone else does.

If you’d like to see 4 quick ideas on keeping your business creative and ahead of the curve, click here.

Cleaning Out The Junk

Cleaning Out The Junk

by | Feb 17, 2025 | Really? The Personal ScLoHo, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

When was the last time you cleaned up your business?

Got rid of the junk you don’t need anymore?

Back in January I saw a lot of memes and social media posts from people resolving to clean up their lives in various ways.

Like getting rid of all those miscellaneous power cords and adapters that have outlived whatever they were originally used for.

Or  doing a purge of email?  My wife had a couple thousand unread emails and decided to go all in and wipe them all out with my help.

She didn’t just want to get rid of the unopened emails, she wanted her entire email account emptied.  Even the trash folder where old emails hang out for 30 days.

So I did it.  She started 2025 with an empty Gmail account.  So far there’s only been one email that she misses.  Sort of.

For me this year, I cleaned up this website a bit.  Simplified the design, removed some of the extra form-fills and scaled it down.

I’ve also been slowly but surely cleaning up my home office of the stuff I brought home in 2023 from my “office” office.

As the weather gets warmer, we’ll be doing more in the garage and outdoor areas to declutter and remove stuff.

Business wise, what junk do you need to get rid of?

My primary radio station WOWO is celebrating its 100th birthday this year and you might think that we probably have 100 years of memorabilia, but we don’t.

10 years ago, on WOWO’s 90th birthday, our program director did an excellent job of creating a History of WOWO podcast series that also includes video clips, photos, old audio and a lot of stories from the people who were part of WOWO’s history… and that’s good because many of the people who were a part of the first 50 years of WOWO are no longer around to tell those stories anymore.

As you move forward with your business this year, or your life in general, take time to get rid of the junk, saving what you really need, and updating what should be updated. Not only will it make your life and business less stressful as you declutter, its a gift to those that follow you to not have to do it when you’re gone.

You have permission to Clean Out The Junk, and keep the very best.

 

Can Your Business Take A Punch Like Rocky?

Can Your Business Take A Punch Like Rocky?

by | Jan 27, 2025 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

At the beginning of January, subscribers to my weekly Sound ADvice newsletter received the information I’m about to share with you today.  If you’d like to receive this in your email inbox, email me and ask for a free subscription.  Scott@ScLoHo.net.

It was 39 years ago that Rocky Balboa fought Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. It was a knock-down drag-out fight with Rocky taking punch after punch and hit after hit, only to get back up time after time and ultimately win the fight!

Rocky was always getting the snot kicked out of him. Intentional or not… it was his style. His opponents would eventually wear down because Rocky could take a hit. And take a hit. And take a hit. 

Sound familiar?  Your business taking hits?… 

…Sales slumps due to the economy, employee troubles, hiring struggles, increased costs, a terrible review, or any other lightning-fast jab, monster hook, or sucker punch.

That’s part of the game though, isn’t it? Getting hit, and always getting back up? Like the Japanese proverb that says, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.”

But Rocky added a couple of things to that…

“Let me tell you something you already know.  The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.  You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.  That’s how winning is done! Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not point fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that, and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!”   – Rocky Balboa

Did you catch them? 

1) It’s about how hard you can get hit, and 2) keep moving forward.

We’ve all been hit. We’ve all been hit HARD. And if you’re reading this… you picked yourself back up.  But did you move forward?  

Step #1 to recovering from a major punch is, Acknowledge and Accept It.  

Acknowledge the issue that caused you to get “hit”, analyze what went wrong, identify the cause, make a plan to ensure it doesn’t happen again (or as severely), and LEARN from it.

Every negative has the potential to produce a positive.  It might not be immediately obvious, but it’s there. If you always have a “move forward” attitude, pretty soon the hits won’t seem so bad, and you’ll find ways to learn from them and capitalize on them sooner.

Oh sure… easier said than done, right?  Absolutely.  Sometimes, it’s not easy to say to yourself that “everything’s gonna be ok”.  But it’s a mindset.  It’s practice, determination, and an attitude. You might not get the big wins every month or every year… but depending on your industry and what’s happening around us, maybe just staying afloat and weathering a storm is also a big win.

If and when your business takes a punch, click here to see seven steps that can help you get back up and keep moving forward.

 And let me be one of the last to wish you a Happy New Year!  2025 will be ripe with opportunities to grow and learn. For me, for you, for everyone.