🍵 Grab a hot tea. Let’s question some business advice. |
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You’ve probably heard the story of the woman who always cut the end off a ham before baking it. Her daughter copied her for years, assuming it was part of the recipe, until she learned her mother did it only because her baking pan was too small. |
All those years, something that started as a practical solution had turned into a “rule,” even though the original reason for it no longer existed.
In business, some habits stick around for years even though we’ve forgotten why we had them in the first place. Let’s consider some of the “rules” you may need to reevaluate. |
- The customer is always right.
- You have to spend money to make money.
- If you’re not growing, you’re dying.
- You need to be everything to everyone.
- If you want something done right, do it yourself.
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After more than 27 years of owning businesses, I’ve learned that some advice is worth following, some needs a little tweaking, and some just doesn’t fit the way I run my business. Before following a rule simply because you’ve heard it a hundred times, ask whether it still fits your customers, finances, and goals. This week, we’re putting a few familiar rules on trial.
Ask yourself: What is my version of cutting off the end of the ham? |
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🌟Small Business Spotlight: The Advice Worth Taking |
There’s a big difference between taking everyone’s advice and knowing whose advice is worth listening to. Click & Carry founder Kim Meckwood got some valuable advice when she participated in the 2025 WBENC Industry Accelerator with Kroger. The eight-week program paired each entrepreneur with a Kroger executive mentor and included training on pitching, marketing, and even how to present a product to a Kroger category manager. |
Meckwood put what she learned to work. At the end of the program, she pitched Click & Carry, her product designed to make carrying multiple bags easier, and won the $10,000 pitch competition. Judges specifically praised the clarity of her presentation, market readiness, and value proposition.
The takeaway: This week's newsletter isn't really about ignoring advice. It's about deciding which advice deserves your attention. Advice from someone who understands your business, your industry, and where you're trying to go can be incredibly valuable. Sometimes the smartest move isn't breaking the rules. It's knowing who to listen to. |
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📊 When you need business advice, who do you trust most? |
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📰 What I’m Reading This Week |
🩺 A new option for offering employee health benefits
The federal government announced CHOICE Arrangements, the new name for Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements, or ICHRAs. They let employers set a monthly contribution that employees can use toward individual health insurance, rather than offering a traditional group health plan. The SBA says the approach can give small employers more predictable health benefit costs.
Why it matters: If health insurance has felt out of reach for your business, this may be another option worth discussing with your benefits or tax adviser. Read the SBA announcement → 👷 Small businesses are pulling back on hiring Small business hiring softened in August. 56% of owners reported hiring or trying to hire, down 5 percentage points from July. But finding qualified workers still isn't easy: 35% still had job openings they couldn't fill, well above the historical average.
Why it matters: If you're hiring, the slowdown could mean a little less competition for candidates, but skilled workers remain difficult to find. It may be worth considering whether your next need requires a full-time hire or can be handled through outsourcing, automation, or redistributing work.
See the latest NFIB small business jobs report → 🛍️ Consumers are spending more, but shopping less often
U.S. small business sales increased 1.3% year over year in August, but customer transactions fell 1.8%. The average amount customers spent per transaction rose 3%, suggesting consumers are visiting less but spending more when they do. Why it matters: Customers are becoming more selective about where and how often they spend. That makes every visit more valuable, from getting someone through the door to giving them a reason to come back.
See the latest Fiserv release details→ |
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We all have things we do because someone told us that's how business works. This week, use AI to find out whether those “rules” still make sense for you. Copy and paste this prompt into your favorite AI tool: |
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Act as a business sounding board. Interview me about my business one question at a time. Ask about how I price, market, spend money, serve customers, manage my time, and make decisions.
As we talk, identify five business rules or assumptions I may be following simply because I've always believed that's how a business should operate. For each one, tell me: |
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Why that advice might be useful
- When it might not apply
- One question I should ask before continuing to follow it
- One small, low-risk way I could test a different approach
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Don't assume conventional business advice is right or wrong. Help me decide whether it makes sense for my business, customers, finances, and goals. |
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8 Best Task Management Software for Small Businesses of 2026 Stop juggling tasks—discover the 8 best task-management apps for small businesses, ranked by features, ease, and price. Learn which tool (from $4/user) fits teams vs. solo users—and which one actually simplifies workflow. Find your perfect match. |
monday.com Review: Features, Pricing & Alternatives Tired of chaotic task lists? monday.com’s color-coded, highly customizable boards and AI automations streamline workflows—200+ templates and powerful integrations make setup fast. Curious whether its group-based pricing and premium features justify the upgrade? Read the full review. |
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🎥 Behind the Scenes - What Nobody Tells You! |
“You have to spend money to make money” was one I took a little too seriously. A family member gave me that advice when I was running my business, and it sounded perfectly logical. So when I wasn't making enough money, I thought maybe I needed to spend more. More marketing. More things I thought the business needed. More expensive software. More money in hopes of making more money. You can probably see where this is going. |
It became a vicious cycle.
What I eventually realized was that the advice wasn't necessarily wrong. It was missing an important first step: You have to have the money to spend.
Spending money can absolutely help a business grow when there's a reason behind the investment and the cash to support it. But spending money simply because you aren't making enough can create an entirely different problem. That's one of the reasons I've become a lot more careful about business advice. Sometimes the advice itself isn't bad. It's following it without considering whether it fits your situation. |
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| Think about one piece of business advice you’ve followed for years.
Maybe you were told, "The bigger the risk, the bigger the success”. Or you believe you have to post on social media every day, offer a discount to make a sale, or say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. Now ask yourself three questions: |
- Why do I do this?
- Is it actually working?
- What would happen if I did it differently?
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The goal isn’t to break business rules just to break them. It’s to make sure the rules you’re following are actually helping your business.
👉 Steal this: Pick one “rule” this week and put it on trial. Keep it if it works. Question it if it doesn’t. |
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Was there something that resonated with you, or is there a topic you'd like me to cover in a future issue? Feel free to reach out to me anytime at rayanne.harmon@technologyadvice.com |
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Senior Small Business Writer and Entrepreneur |
Rayanne Harmon is an entrepreneur and finance professional with decades of experience building businesses while working in banking, accounting, and business finance. Inspired by a family of entrepreneurs, she successfully owned and operated a photography studio for 20 years before launching a social media marketing agency dedicated to helping small businesses grow. Through Small Business Insider, Rayanne shares practical advice, real-world insights, and actionable strategies to help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of starting, managing, and growing a successful business.
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