Small Business Builder: Secrets of Success

March 20 -- Some business owners need a push to get started.

That's what happened to Patti Danos, a Chicago-based business-book publicist who specializes in workplace titles and has boosted sales for dozens of authors, including Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans (Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay), John Drake (Downshifting: How to Work Less and Enjoy Life More) and Christopher Avery (Teamwork Is an Individual Skill: Getting Your Work Done When Sharing Responsibility).

Here's a sample of the business wisdom Danos has collected:

The single most important lesson she's learned as a business owner: "Knowing and understanding the power of 'no.' From saying 'no' to new business that doesn't feel right to saying 'no' to a client request that doesn't gel strategically to saying 'no' to timelines proposed by others that compromise my work-life balance, I've learned that there's as much power, if not more power, in 'no' than 'yes.'"

On overcoming inertia: "I got started seven years ago after I was 'nudged' to do so by a layoff, which turned out to be one of my life's greatest blessings."

On getting new business: "Referrals, referrals, referrals. I've built my business by word of mouth alone, thanks to doing excellent work with excellent clients."

On keys to success: "I believe it's important to visualize your 'ideal' client (or customer or account or whatever the case may be) — and to do so as specifically as possible — so that you can attract her, as well as identify her once you do."

Readers: Do you have business-success secrets you'd like to share? Please e-mail a brief description of your business and its successes to smallbiz@gravity.biz

Quick and Easy Learning

There's not much you can't learn about online, and the price is right if you choose from the array of courses available from the Small Business Association. In a little under an hour, I completed two free courses in the "SBA Classroom": "How to Raise Capital for a Small Business" and "Building Your Business with Web Marketing." There are no exams (though there are summary questions at the end of the financing course); in fact, the communication is all one-way.