Jon’s Blog
Which retailers will lose, who will win, and help for those who want it
Welcome to my August, 2020 E-newsletter for Destination Business Success. Give me 3 minutes and 46 seconds and you can read this. Let’s get started with:Which Retailers Will Lose We’re hearing a lot about retailers who are having trouble during this pandemic and one group recently put out a 40+ page analysis of what needs to happen for their...
Less than 2 Minute Blog: How to Make a Viral Video, New Classes Open for Registration, and How to Sell Every Day
Welcome to Successful Independent Business. Here are my Silver Bullet Solutions this week. First up, on this site we have a brilliant marketing expert explaining how she used a free software program available to anyone and with no experience with the software, created...
Less than 4 Minutes of Business Updates from Jon Schallert
Some of you know I’m a perfectionist (just like many of you reading this). I stared at my computer screen for over 5 minutes, trying to think of a title for this blog post, and finally, just typed “Less than 4 Minutes of Updates from Jon Schallert”. As Lou Heckler...
Kansas Department of Agriculture Hosts Destination Business Workshops to Assist Rural Towns and Business Owners
The Kansas Department of Agriculture is partnering with Jon Schallert to present his two-day “New Rules of Business Success” workshop in Abilene on October 7-8, focusing on his strategies for making independent businesses and towns irresistible to both local consumers...
How a Business in a Town of 28 People Became a Destination: The Mildred Store, Mildred Kansas
The essence of a Destination Business is that it can exist anywhere. It’s not location dependent, it can defy its demographics, and it has the ability to pull customers from hours away. But honestly, when I found a Destination Business in Mildred, Kansas (population...
The importance of celebrating your successes
Last Thursday I spent the day in Marshall, Michigan, speaking to nearly one hundred business owners from all over the State. Some owners drove in from over 4 hours away to spend the day learning how to turn their businesses into Destinations, capable of pulling in...
It’s a New Year, and You’re Not the Problem
Here’s my first blog post of 2019 that will help you start off right. I had a revelation during the holidays. It came while I was browsing in some bookstores (shop local, right?), in their business book sections. It had never occurred to me before, but I realized...
The Power of a Historic Building
Note from Jon Schallert: If you received my email newsletter, there is an obvious grammatical error in the 3rd paragraph. Read down to the bottom of this blog and you'll learn why it's there. Most of you know that our company is located in Colorado, but did you know...
Sure, Retail’s tough. And here’s how to succeed at it.
Not a week goes by without someone saying to me: “Retail’s tough.” I hear it from developers, bankers, downtown directors, and business leaders. They say with a “That’s just the way it is" sigh. Want to know how independent retailers today thrive? Here’s how: At the...
Retail Isn’t Dying & the Retail Apocalypse Isn’t Coming
In the last 2 months, there have been multiple articles written about the “Retail Apocalypse”, the term journalists use to describe the many retail stores and malls that are closing. One article in Bloomberg magazine by Matt Townsend and others was titled: “America’s...
Creating Consumer Preference: The First Step in Becoming a Destination
For those of you who just had a 3-day, July 4th weekend, you might have experienced what I did this past weekend, an overwhelming number of choices on where to spend my 3 days off. All of these were on my "Possible Go-To" list: There were several 4th of July parades...
Everyone Wants You to Grow, but Who Really Wants You to Thrive?
To all independent business owners! Here's something to think about: I once received a call from the sales vice-president of a well-known national franchise who wanted me to speak at their annual convention. He’d heard about me from one of his independent...
The 4 Biggest Lies Customers Tell You
Most of you who own a business know this, but customers lie. They lie a lot. Most don’t do it in a spiteful way, but from the time they’re walking in your business, they’re not telling you the truth. Does this shock you? You must be new to the world of independent...
Quit Killing Your Business: Preserve Your Profit Margin
I’m not very good sitting in an audience. Sitting’s not my thing. But I’m especially bad at sitting still when there’s a business consultant on stage telling independent business owners that their best shot at bringing customers in their doors is to discount their...
Can Your Business Change its Course like an Aircraft Carrier?
“No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back.” Turkish proverb Let me tell you a story that a friend of mine, a retired Navy Commander, told me. One night over a couple of libations, I asked him what he did in the Navy, and while he was listing his...
The Dangers of Using 5-Legged Cow Marketing
While you’re contemplating the title of this post, let me tell you a quick story. When I was 22 years old, I drove from Colorado to Connecticut to start my first job following college. If you’ve ever drove east out of Colorado, you know that most people end up taking...
