Ask questions. Get answers.

I'm seeing that a national number doesn't really help anyone, especially if your SME is local or services a local area. I take that onboard. 

As far as access/exposure goes, I see a few different examples from mail outs to emails to website ads listed above. The buying group promotes to its members internally through many different forms. Blanket emails across the membership, online presence within the buying groups website with details of the business, location, and services/products offered. Social media is included as well as word of mouth recommendations from within the membership.

The SME's don't get lists or a database. Just access to the buying group community who want to buy at SME's within the group. 

This can be used by SME's facing the public and SME's facing the business community too. So it's flexible.

Is there exclusivity? Yes, first in best dressed so to speak. Only when the buying group membership is high enough in a particular area will another similar business be able to join in that geographical area. 

What have they been buying? anything and everything. It's open to anything other than real estate and the adult services/ product industry.

You can get a uniform or laundry allowance through your tax return.  Check with an accountant or the ATO for more info.

Interesting question - what's your experience @Eric Sutfin @Laura Tien ?

I have to respectfully disagree with Roland. Firstly, not turning a profit when the business reinvests to allow growth is the way many businesses secure their future. And, suggesting that Amazon (or Google, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Tesla etc) was a hobby, or in any way wasn't a business until it turned a profit is incredibly naive. Any market changer, innovator, research company or business developing hardware will have a long period before turning a profit, while operating very much as a business.

To answer the question though, it depends on the type of business, its present financial position and the state of the market. I agree with Roland that the key is margin, but there is rather more to it. Revenue, and cashflow, is king - it is what allows a business the means to keep running. At the end of the day, there isn't much point making huge margin on each sale, if you have to lay off all your staff between projects.

If you are in a product business then marketshare is vital. Your revenue streams may be from customers other than those who are actually the end user of your product. This means you need marketshare, to be growing, and to be keeping your product current. It's actually the same for service businesses.

If you want your business to do more than sustain itself at its current level, you need to grow. The right time to do so will be when you have cashflow and resources within your team to invest in it - or if your business is just starting out, for as long as you can sustain the growth phase.

Businesses come in many shapes, sizes and make ups. If you want your business to grow and are able to invest your "margin" to do that in lieu of turning a profit then do so - you know your business, your customers, and what your team can do!

Customers, or users, are the new profit to many modern businesses. Strong market position means your business can face the future, and when it comes time to turn a profit it will likely be much bigger than focussing on taking whatever you can at the start.

The two main reasons I am in business (and in the businesses I am in) are the following:

1. I'm passionate about the industry (and my products and services)
2. I want to solve a problem for customers and connect with them

I am a huge fan of guest blogging, especially when it comes to matters that can improve SEO and PR. In this case, I notice that the benefits of guest blogging for SEO and other stuff tend to coincide with one another. Here's why you should put on your writing cap:

1. It helps you get more backlinks to your site. Most guest blogging opportunities will allow you one to two links that you can place in exchange for writing up a cool piece for them. Crawlers use backlinks to help discover content. So, this helps your site get ranked easier.
2. You also get more people linking to the article you wrote. This builds up both brand awareness and indirectly adds "juice" to the SEO efforts you're making for your own site. 
3. Depending on who your guest platform is, it could also increase your reputation in the SEO world. A backlink from something like The New York Times is going to elevate your site more. 
4. If your article does well, you may also get social media links to both you and your site. Google's algorithm makes it easier to get higher in ranks faster. 

A small business can use an affiliate marketing to grow brand awareness, increase revenue, and drive traffic to your site. The great thing is that it's low risk. You pay a commission only if a website (or infliuencer, or whoever you work with) refers someone who goes on to purchase.

It allows you to track the real return on investment with different content creators (or other sites) you decide you want to work with. 

There are two options for doing this - an affiliate software, or an affiliate network. As a small business, it is easier to get overlooked on an affiliate network as affiliates favour brands that they know. Networks also come with a higher price tag. With a software, the outlay is less, but you are responsible for recruiting your own affiliates (the websites that promote you to their audience.)

It's all about what you are looking for. 

Another option would be to start a referral program for current customers. That way you reward people for sharing with their family and friends.

You may also want to checkout Nvite, https://nvite.com/features , it has pretty good pricing as well.

However for actually spreading the word, it may depend on your audience. If it is professionals LinkedIn would be good. If it is consumers LinkedIn is probably not ideal.

If you are trying to up the anticipation you could try live streaming in the lead up to the event with, Periscope, Meerkat, Youtube Live (I think Facebook even offers something now).

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