1. Get your website ready for Small Business Saturday. You've decked your store and display windows with "Shop Small" swag, but does your website let customers know the big event is on its way? The Small Business Saturday website has "Shop Small" logos and graphics you can personalize and place on your site's home page. Let customers know about any special Small Business Saturday deals you'll be offering as well to incentivize them to come visit your store on November 29. (From "How to Enhance Your Online Presence for Small Business Saturday," by Erika Napoletano)

2. Take unnecessary tasks off your plate. Don't use precious time you could be using to grow your business to work on operational tasks like bookkeeping or social media. "By handing off work in areas that aren't within your expertise," writes small-business expert Brian Moran, "you'll create more time to focus on the critical, strategic operations of your business—the things that only you can handle." Use online marketplaces to find virtual assistants to help you with these tasks, or delegate to your staff. (From "11 Daily Tasks You Should Start Outsourcing Today," by Brian Moran) 

3. Host in-store events. Parties, workshops and demonstrations are a great way to bring your online customers into your store. These types of events provide an experience your customers can't replicate online. (From "How to Build a Bridge Between Your Online and Offline Traffic," by Mark Henricks)

4. Partner with other small businesses. "When small businesses band together," OPEN Forum contributor Phaedra Hise writes, "they can often offer customers something larger and more exciting than a regular shopping day." (From "Innovative Ways to Make Small Business Saturday a Big Success," by Phaedra Hise)

5. Invest in local search. It's a smart way for small businesses to get in on the mobile advertising wave, writes OPEN's Kelly Spors. "Making sure your web site is optimized for mobile-based users and that your business has a strong presence when people type your business or company name into a search engine on mobile can provide a big payoff—especially since Google recently boosted the search ranking of locally owned businesses." (From "Mobile Advertising Will See Massive Growth by 2018," by Kelly Spors) 

6. Consider photo lighting. The lighting that's used when you're taking a photo can do wonders for how professional and great you look in your headshots. "The main light should light most of your face with a lesser light used to light up the smaller side of your face," says photographer Peggy Farren. "For business photos," she suggests, "the lighting shouldn't be dramatic. The shadow side of the face should just be a bit darker but not extremely darker." (From "Picture Perfect: Photographers Reveal How to Look Better Online," by Geoff Williams)

7. Nominate yourself. "Best of" lists are largely populated by business owners who have nominated their ocmpanies for a spot. (From "Secrets to Earning a "Best of" Business Ranking," by Mark Henricks)

8. Say "I'm sorry." Showing humility can go a long way in improving business relationships, and being comfortable with admitting your mistakes is part of that, writes branding expert Ted Rubin. "Admitting you were wrong doesn’t make you a big failure—it makes you honest and open, and it makes you human. And opening yourself up enough to admit you were wrong gives other people insight into your character, even if they don’t know you very well. If they perceive that you're being truly humble, their respect for you can even go up a notch." (From "5 Ways to Avoid Wasting Other People’s Time," by Dorie Clark)

9. Shop in bulk. Becoming a member of your local warehous club can cut down the costs associated with purchases you make to stock up your office, like paper goods and snacks for your employees. (From "A Quick Guide to Being a Better Business Bulk Shopper," by Geoff Williams)

10. Turn your foes into friends. The best way to deal with combative fellow consultants is calming their fears that you're there to take their business away. "When the other consultant realizes you're not there to discredit them or steal the customer, they generally calm down," advises OPEN Forum contributor Marjorie Adams. "Be certain to stress their value in the success of the project to both them and the client so they have confidence in your working relationship." (From "Play Nice: Ways to Work Well With Other Consultants," by Marjorie Adams)

Read more articles on the latest small-business news.

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