How to sink your new venture

FedEx SmartPost is an unholy alliance between FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service. The only thing this alliance is known for is making customers wait up to two weeks to receive their packages. FedEx had the most reliable delivery system in the world until now. Its partnership with the postal service has changed our opinion of the company, and if they plan to use the postal service more often we will request all our packages to be shipped via UPS in the future.--Kristine Tanzillo of Myrtle Springs, TexasMake sure you ship orders quickly if you run a retail business. Customers, particularly internet customers, have certain expectations. Waiting a week can severely damage credibility.If the only place you respond to customers is through Facebook or Twitter, think again. Annoyed customers will learn that, in order to get a response, they need to post publicly to social media. Prospective customers will see the litany of complaints and choose to do business with someone else.View the list »
Make sure you hire enough staff to handle customer demand and fulfill orders. Companies that don't risk backlash as frustrated customers take to social media and fill your voice and email inboxes with complaints.

Small Business newsletter

Startup owners don't think, "Gee, how can I completely fail?" Instead, entrepreneurs think about how they can succeed, particularly in today's tough economy. They may look for ways to save money while growing. But according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, over half of all small businesses do not survive their first five years. Here's a roadmap of what not to do, if you want to make it to the five-year mark and beyond.

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  • Make sure you hire enough staff to handle customer demand and fulfill orders. Companies that don't risk backlash as frustrated customers take to social media and fill your voice and email inboxes with complaints.
  • If the only place you respond to customers is through Facebook or Twitter, think again. Annoyed customers will learn that, in order to get a response, they need to post publicly to social media. Prospective customers will see the litany of complaints and choose to do business with someone else.
  • Make sure you ship orders quickly if you run a retail business. Customers, particularly internet customers, have certain expectations. Waiting a week can severely damage credibility.
  • FedEx SmartPost is an unholy alliance between FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service. The only thing this alliance is known for is making customers wait up to two weeks to receive their packages. FedEx had the most reliable delivery system in the world until now. Its partnership with the postal service has changed our opinion of the company, and if they plan to use the postal service more often we will request all our packages to be shipped via UPS in the future.--Kristine Tanzillo of Myrtle Springs, Texas
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, Springfield Entrepreneurship Examiner

An entrepreneur herself, Christine Parizo is the principal of Christine Parizo Communications and a freelance writer specializing in business and technology. She focuses on white papers and case studies for business-to-business (B2B) companies. Christine also works closely with entrepreneurs to...

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