 Starting a small business is an exciting adventure full of potential, challenges, and plenty of room for creativity. But while the journey can feel like a rollercoaster, there are certain strategies that can help you navigate the ups and downs while keeping your energy high and your stress low. Let’s dive into 10 fun and practical tips that will help you build a successful business
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 Managing cash flow is crucial for the success of any small business. Without enough cash coming in, even the best products or services won’t keep a business afloat. Here are some essential tips to help you manage cash flow effectively.
 Decent Dreams: The Story Behind St. Thomas's Most Unconventional Ice Cream
Have you ever strolled through St. Thomas, Ontario, on a warm afternoon and caught a whiff of something sweet in the air, part nostalgia, part mystery? Perhaps you were near Decent Ice Cream. But don't let the name fool you. "Decent" here doesn't mean average. It's that easygoing, confident kind of decent, the kind that nods, smirks, and hands you a pint of charcoal-dandelion-lemon ice cream like it's the most natural thing in the world. And for founder Matt Kroeker, maybe it is.  Effective merchandising taps into the psychology of how people shop—because we rarely make purchases based on logic alone. Instead, our buying decisions are often driven by emotion, visual cues, and how a product makes us feel. Good merchandising creates a sensory experience that captures attention, tells a story, and subtly guides customer behaviour. From the moment someone walks into your store, your displays should spark curiosity, build desire, and help them imagine your products in their own life. When done right, merchandising doesn't just show what you sell, it creates a mood, builds trust, and makes buying feel natural and exciting.
 Starting a small business is a huge leap, and one of the most crucial factors that can determine your success is whether there’s real demand for what you’re offering. After all, no matter how passionate or skilled you are, if there’s no market for your product or service, it can be challenging to thrive. Proof of demand is the foundation that validates your business idea and gives you the confidence to move forward.
But how do you prove demand for your product or service before launching? Here are several ways to validate demand for your small business: |