Trade publications
are secret places where
you can find new ideas
to help your business grow

Want to get the inside scoop, the latest advancements, or the heads-up on up-and-coming companies in your industry or niche? Would you like to generate new ideas that will transform your small business and give you a competitive advantage?

One of the best ways to do that is to regularly scan trade and industry publications.

Too many small-business owners are shortsighted and never take advantage of these timesaving resources. They think that paying for a couple of dozen magazines is a waste; after all, they may only get one good idea a year from them. They feel they don't have the time.

There are three reasons why you want to become an investigator of not only your own industry or niche, but also a voyeur of industries other than your own.

» Bridging the digital divide. Being a small-business owner in today's competitive environment requires a serious commitment to stay abreast of trends and technology. Forget that fact and you'll quickly be left behind in the marketplace.

You constantly need to be bridging the digital divide, leveraging technology, and developing infrastructure to perform effectively and efficiently.

» Break out of the box. The human mind works best off connections and associations. Without substantial external simulation through exposure to new thoughts, strategies, and tactics, you're likely to wallow around in a myopic puddle of stagnation.

Subscribing to trade publications, not only within your industry, but also in complementary or adjacent industries, will give you a tremendous advantage over your competitors with ideas and solutions outside the conventional norm.

» One good idea can give you a 1000-percent return -- year after year. If you only get one good idea out of a dozen magazines over the course of 12 months, would you say that's been worth your time and investment? Even if it takes two hours a month of your time figured at $100 and hour -- you bet it is!

In my 25 years of business ownership I can tell you that I've made hundreds of thousands of dollars off ideas from articles or case studies I read in trade publications. One example was the application of production-line efficiency principles to a service business. That simple shift on our maintenance crews lowered customer complaints by 80 percent and reduced on-site time for each property by more than 15 percent. Without even quantifying the positive impact on client satisfaction, that translated into more than $24,000 to the bottom line for each crew every year.

You can get started for free today! I've found a convenient place where you can search for and subscribe to all the trade publications you want. Find it at www.tradepub.com .

John-Paul Micek

See the Columnists section for some past articles.

John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.

Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.

Read an expanded version of this article at www.GetCoachedforFree.com.

Trade publications are secret places where you can find new ideas to help your business grow

Trade publications
are secret places where
you can find new ideas
to help your business grow