On this episode of The Small Business Radio Show…

We first talk about the very popular, often misunderstood social media site Reddit. Christine Lagorio-Chafkin shares what makes it the third most-visited website in the United States—and yet, millions of Americans have no idea what it is. We’ll show you what Reddit is, how it works, and how small business can be using it as a marketing resource.

Then, we show you how your small business should be thinking about e-commerce. We talk with John Lawson about where you should start with e-commerce, the things you absolutely HAVE to do well if you’re going to do e-commerce, and what your strategy and budget should be for advertising on social media to spark e-commerce sales.

Finally, in business you only get a chance to make a first impression once. That is why the initial greeting is so important. The best way to learn this is from folks who do it for a living in the hospitality industry. We talk to founder and owner of the BIN 36 restaurant and wine brand Dan Sachs about how retailers can make a great impression for customers, and have employees who truly care.

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Segment 1: Christine Lagorio-Chafkin is an award-winning journalist who has covered culture, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship for the past 15 years. She is senior writer at Inc. magazine and her work has appeared in many other publications, including The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, and the Washington Post. She was raised on a sheep farm in rural Wisconsin and now lives in New York City with her husband, cats, and toddlers. She is the author of We Are the Nerds: The Birth and Tumultuous Life of Reddit, the Internet’s Culture Laboratory.

2:15 – Reddit is the third most-visited website in the United States–and yet, millions of Americans have no idea what it is. What do people use Reddit for?

5:30 – Why isn’t Reddit part of the political conversation, at least on the same scale, as the other social media players Facebook and Twitter?

9:00 – Reddit is valued at more than $1 billion. Are they on the IPO path?

9:45 – How Reddit’s founders Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian have shaped the future of Reddit.

12:30 – Does Reddit have a role in small business?

Segment 2: John Lawson is an Amazon #1 best-selling author, IBM Ecommerce Futurist and Ebay Influencer. He is regarded as a Platinum Ecommerce Powerseller who has generated millions through online selling. John is the CEO at ColderICE Media.

20:15 – Amazon is not your competitor! Here’s how small business should be thinking about e-commerce.

22:15 – What you have to do well if you’re going to do e-commerce as a small business.

23:00 – Where small businesses should start with e-commerce.

25:00 – Should you have your own e-commerce website or join a seller marketplace?

26:30 – What should small businesses be doing during the holidays to spark e-commerce sales?

29:00 – The best way to handle a budget for advertising on social media, and how to “train the robots” to make advertising cheaper and more effective for you.

32:15 – Why we’re not having the big Black Friday bang we’ve had in the past.

Segment 3: Dan Sachs is a professor at DePaul University’s School of Hospitality Leadership and is the Entrepreneur In Residence at DePaul’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. Dan is the founder and owner of the BIN 36 restaurant and wine brand. After successfully opening the first restaurant in 1999, the wine brand was established in 2005 and grew to distribution of over 10,000 cases in a combination of domestic and international sales. Dan’s knowledge of food, wine, and restaurant operations have been recognized nationally. He has been a featured speaker for Nation’s Restaurant News, the National Restaurant Association, Food & Wine magazine as well as at a number of Chicago events. Recently, Sachs published a book, The Million Dollar Greeting, that focuses on integrating hospitality practices across the service economy.

37:45 – How can retailers make a great impression for customers?

39:30 – What is the key to the Million Dollar Greeting philosophy?

40:15 – How do you build a company where employees truly care about the customer?

44:00 – What’s the best way for restaurants and retailers to differentiate themselves?

45:30 – How has social media impacted hospitality practices across the service economy?

49:00 – What should the role of smart phones be in a service oriented business?

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