. >> she was a model and a goldman sachs analyst. now, she run ace boutique. she discovered her content had to be as hot as the clothes. plus, should you allow employees to talk politics in the workplace? all that and more coming up on "your business".

hi there, everyone. i'm j.j. ramberg. welcome to "your business," the show dedicated to giving you tips and advice to helping your small business grow. in today's tech savvy world, new e-commerce sites are popping up every single day. but how do you make yours stand out from the rest? today rod kurts introduces us to the woman who is taking the phrase, content is king, to brand new heights. ♪ ♪ >> i was walking down the streets of paris, and stumbled upon this tiny boutique in paris. bought a pair of shoes, not surprising. >> when former model and goldman sachs analyst returned from her trip, all of her friends were dying to get their hands on a pair of their own. but when they called the

boutique, they were told the only way to get them was it visit the store in person. >> it was a little mind-boggling that in the 21st century we didn't have a platform to purchase from paris, these shoes. >> so she built this on-line shopping. olga knew this one store wouldn't be enough to make it successful. to make her site stand out from other sites, they knew she needed to be not only a supplier but also a fashion expert. >> trendy, what to shop, how to pair the stuff in. women shouldn't be double-guessing every purchase. we should be there to help them. the brand becoming their friend is the most important. shoptiques is the brand it identify the most exclusive brands. if you are not on it, people are not worthy, in a way.

so people are incentive advised to come in and find us to make sure they are indeed on the platform. it is almost like, being zagga rated. ♪ >> another push has been for original content that makes shoptiques your source for what's in. they launched an on-line magazine, "the edit" which is the scoop on what and how to wear the latest trends, putting together looks and boutique spots. >> the vision behind the edit was to create seamless integration between editorial through immerse. we do this through personal style and inspiration. but everything is 100% shopable. >> with new content posted everyday, it is how to get shoptiques products. >> you say, you have to share this, it'll help people out. >> women come here to shop but also to procrastinate. he want you to be on our site no matter what you are doing. then as you are reading, you are

now clicking into the product and converting. >> you need to know what your audience, who your audience is and cater it to them. each woman has a different way of shopping. some are very price conscious. others are into color. others are into really shopping by a particular category. it is about evoffering women a variety of ways to shop. so on the home page, click on edit navigation. that takes out to new editorial section of the site. >> the edit is the editorial platform. there are two or three new pieces of product coming out everyday. so women can come back everyday and find something new and fun to read. so if you follow us on twitter or facebook, you will see the articles we are posting and fun things we are doing. give them things they actually care about and that will bring them back to the site. >> rod kurts is here with us now and larry chang.

his company invests in high growth boot strap companies. and jessica hairon is the founder and ceo of stella and dot. a serial entrepreneur which had merged with della and james. >> thanks for having me. >> yes. you used to have editorials, ask magazines and then sales and stores. now it is merging. >> it is an interesting trend. as you know i've been in the content business my whole career. i noticed a couple years back, the slow trend of entrepreneurs wading into the content waters. a lot started with a simple blog. then it became their own youtube channel. the key is to keep people engaged, to draw them in and get them to procrastinate. i think the take away for entrepreneurs in the whole range is we are all in the content business now.

>> when they say exactly your world. how important is content to you? >> we think of it as providing a great customer experience. when we sell our accessories line, we are not trying to sell a product, we are trying to give someone an understanding of how to wear it, how do get the value out of that. we think the story telling, inspiration, and what to do with it afterwards is a part of actually what we provide. i think it is critical. >> then you have to hire a staff doing content. so it used to be that you have your sales staff. and now it is a lot of money. it is expensive to hire people who will do content as well. >> but it's critical. every brand has a direct connection with their customer, through the website. it is expected they create content. it used to be some brands were removed from their customers but now have you a one to one plan so you have to create a contact. >> there are so not many brands out there. customers want to align themselves with brands they know, brands they like. so if they say, i can't compete with wal-mart or whoever it may

be. >> it is like thinking about it very differently, offline shopping and online shopping. the consumer is making a decision based on what they do in the physical world, on their mobile device, at home on their laptop. it is all blended. we like to think of it as, in stella & dot, we only have one service. here is content here and then people trying to sell stuff. we think of it is as, here is the customer, we want to delight them. let's educate them. let's give them value and then they will shop. >> that's a great point. it it not ancillary any more to what you are trying to do. >> great. we will leave it at that. thank you so much. when ebay launched, it changed the world of on-line shopping. it continues to be a great place for people to sell products. here is a place for merchant looking to create and sell product. one invest in visuals. multiple photos really do increase sales.

one, invest in individuals. two, provide more payment options. don't limit potential customers. people will go to another merchant if their credit card isn't accepted. three, integrate with google's internet marketplace. it will help create traffic from potential customers. four, spruce up your ebay about us page. personalize it to show shoppers you are a reliable person to buy from. number five, go international. ebay has a very precise shipping calculator so you can tell how much to charge for certain items. expanding to an international market can increase sales by 16%. election day is approaching and things are heating up on the political front. now there are so many hot button issues being discussed. it seems like everyone want it share their opinion. however, our next guest says when it comes to talking politics in the workplace, the general rule of thumb should be mums the word. david baron is as attorney in

houston. he focuses on labor and employment law. and larry and jessica are here with us once again for this conversation. great to see you. so tell me, why do you say mum is the word? you shouldn't talk politics at work? >> yeah, i mean, look, we have people out there, employees who want to get up on their soap box, maybe want to hand out literature at work and do their best to campaign for the particular candidate. they may not be the right approach for the workplace. a lot of employers want to can keep those things out of the workplace and they have have a right do it. >> so as an employer, do you make the announcement, no politics at work? or do you assume people are going to know not to? >> well every employer is different. there are some employers that actively want to be out there having rallies in their parking lots. those are probably rare. most employers want it keep people focused on their jobs at work. i would say most employers, simply have a respect and act professional policy, and don't

go out there becoming the politics police. they just expect employees to not cross the line into offensive types of statements. but i have a lot of clients and employers right now going and reminding people that, look, this is a contentious election. we need to be respectful of other people's opinions and not get into heated arguments and fights. >> it sounds to make perfect sense in theory. but, jessica, you run a small business and debates are happening and people watch them and they come in and just talk about it. >> that's right. i think the key thing is to make sure that people respect people's opinions but it is too much to ask people not to be their authentic selves with their coworkers. if you want a great culture and people to be honest with each other a s to have a bond with what they do. we don't expect people to be mums the word, just be honest and respectful. >> when do you know when they are crossing the line, larry? >> well when the temperature rises, you know there is a

hot-button issue and you know you should tone it down. there is not a lot of up side to get involved with the politics, there is a down side so just be careful of it. >> a lot of what you go to work for is the social aspect of it. you are in a work place with a lot of friends and for a lot of people this is how they talk about politics is they debate and it is exciting for them to debate. it may get heated but then they go out for lunch and everything is fine. >> as an employer, how do you know when somebody has overstepped that line? >> sure, that's a good question. obviously, if somebody complains, that's an issue. you also have to be careful for areas of discuss that get into protected legal classifications. things like race. it is one thing to talk about politics. it is another thing to start talking about the particular race after candidate or when you talk about controversial issues like immigration or religious issues. those can can turn into

discussions where someone can say something that is offensive. especially a manager that will make a decision later about that particular employee. that's where you have to be careful that people don't cross the line. >> would you suggest having a really casual conversation and saying, hey, guys, it is political season. people have different opinions, just make sure it doesn't get too heated? or be careful about what you talk about or don't say anything? >> i think a casual conversation like that makes sense. to let people know, every political discussion can be a land mine. just be careful and just be respectful. >> i think it if it is necessary, you bring it up. having a work place in northern california where it is very open dialogue, i don't think it is necessary within us. and you don't want to make it a bigger issue than it it. >> thank you. good luck over the next few weeks. thanks a lot. still to come, your clients want you to pay in 90 days but vendors want you to pay in 30. what do you do? it is tip number 40 in our new book, how body language can

improve self-confidence and help you make the sale. on every one of our cards there's a date. a reminder... that before this date, we have to exceed expectations. we have to find new ways to help make life easier, more convenient and more rewarding. it's the reason why we don't have costumers. we have members. american express. welcome in.

okay, here is a great way to not really cost efficient. any time you buy something for your company, see if you can use it in multiple ways. this comes from angela couple who started home aroma. for example, this is the packaging for the caviar eye cream. look at size. this is also a travel size for other product or hand-out samples. think about this with brochures, pamphlets or mailing material. make them generic enough that you can use them for multiple targets in multiple places. so tip number 145, make all of your marketing materials do triple duty. >> for the past couple of weeks here on the show, you've seen little clips like that last one from my new book, "it's your business." and i'm so excited to tell everyone that this week, the book is finally launching in stores. i was inspired to write this book with my co-authors, lisa and frank, because over the last six years, we've gotten the chance to go around the country and interview thousands of small business owners. and so many of them had these really clever incredibly

practical tips about how to run a business better. so we put the best of them together in "it's your business." but this is just the beginning. please let me know your best tips so i can continue to share them with our audience. and if you try anything out from the book, please let me know how it goes. i would love to hear your feedback. send an e-mail to yourbusiness@msnbc.com. and i want to show you one more tip. this video is tip number 40, improve your self-confidence by standing differently. ♪ ♪ >> a lot of judgments being made of you are not only based on the words coming out of your mouth but in sort of the disposition you are projecting. >> isn't that crazy? you spend so much time making your power point and getting all of your materials and perfecting what you are going to say. and, really, i could ruin it all in the first couple of minutes if i'm standing the wrong way? >> yeah. i definitely think it goes against conventional wisdom

about how to prepare for a speech. >> when you go into the room, i think that, you know, for women, this is a posture that is fine. so, basically, postures that signal strength and confidence are expansive. you are opening your body as opposed to doing this kind of thing. crossing your feet, crossing your arms, touching your body. or doing something like this. >> i do often find i don't know where to put my hands. >> yeah. >> and when you get self-conscious, you say as default, put them on your hips. >> it is more about avoiding contraction associated with low power, in humans and nonhumans. don't make yourself smaller. don't hunch your shoulders. don't have limbs touching your torso. >> that is a what you do when you are feeling not so confident. >> exactly right. >> what about before you go into a meeting?

you say there are things you can do to prepare yourself? >> exactly. we really focus on what nonverbals you want to use before you go into the meeting to get yourself basically to optimally configure your brain and deal with a stressful situation. we advises that expansive poses associated with power, you practice in your office, in the hallway, wherever you can find privacy, make yourself as big as you can. stretch your arms out. spread your legs out. and what is happening when you do that, is that you are increasing testosterone, the dominance hormone, and decreasing cortisol, which helps you endure situations better. >> i would be looking silly if i was about to go into business meeting and waving my arms around. being expansive, right? >> that's right. >> but two minutes of doing this, will make me better -- a better performer in the meeting? >> exactly. two minutes of having people pose in these expansive versus the contracted poses, lead to

these hormonal changes. one of our favorites is what we call the ceo pose, where you sit down and put your legs up on the table. cross your ankles. >> i know this one. >> that's right. >> so here you have, you know, you've got this real expansiveness. and this seems to be very effective at increasing testosterone and decreasing cortisol. >> it is time now to answer some of your business questions. larry and jessica are with us once again. the first one is about getting funding. >> when a business owner or venture capitalist is considering a major financial outlay, do you tend to go more with your gut or more with the data? which one do you lead off with? >> this is what you do, larry. so your gut or data? >> it starts with my gut. if i'm interested in the company after a first meeting, i don't have much data to go off of. but it is something you have seen that gets you interested. but to get to the finish line

invest into the company, there is a lot of data. so it start with gut, ends with data. >> and also starts with relationship. you've gotten funding a lot of times. >> yes. i agree with larry. it also depends on the stage of the business. if it is new, you are backing the person. the data you have will change. you have to rely on your gut level people instincts. as the business proves out, it is about looking at the key metrics to look in the next level, put in the next round of funding, and that's very much in looking at the numbers and combining this that with your gut. >> can i flip this for one second too? >> when you look for funding and if you are lucky, you have a few people who want to give you money, where do you go with your gut or data? how do you choose? >> your gut. because it is about the relationship that you will have, especially if that person is going it take a board seat in your company. make sure your vision is aligned on the exit strategy. >> you are signing up for a marriage. it is absolutely your gut. >> let's move on to the next one. what do do when your client, major corporation, won't pay you for 60 to 90 days. >> i find it a tremendous challenge to manage the cash flow when my vendors want to be paid in 15 or 30.

and i'm looking for answers on what i can do to better meet the cash flow crunch. >> i hear this problem a lot. because when you're a small business, you often don't have the power to force people to pay you faster. so what do you do? >> there is the traditional ways, getting a line of credit that can help bridge your receivables. so that's a traditional thing that you can do. you want to have cushion in your business. you need cash to survive. so think about how you might put in a program of staying lean and mean and building up that cushion so you can flow it yourself or go out and get a line of credit. >> what about providing incentives for people to pay early? does that work? >> it is going to be hard for a large corporation. there are factoring companies like the receivables exchange where you can receive your receivable for 95% of the value and then when you collect it, you can give it to the company that factored it. that's an option for companies out there. >> let's move on to the next one. this is from a woman that owns a limousine company. >> how do you grow your business

when you are small in a male-dominated profession. >> first of all, she shouldn't think of it as a male-dominated profession. >> first of all, you should recognize and don't see your differences as a disadvantage. see it as an advantage. if you want to grow your business, there is only one answer, go get some more customers. however you go market that, do it. don't ever see your gender as any reason why you won't succeed. >> we see bootstrap companies that take no capital an get to 10, 20, 30, $100 million in revenue. it can be done. >> she needs to think of a way to get more customers. >> market yourself as a woman-owned business. women customers want to support that. >> it is sort of fun when you get a female driver. >> absolutely. >> this is an e-mail from kevin. he writes, a business colleague and i want to register an llc with the most favorable tax benefit. what states should we consider? how does he even figure this out? >> i don't think the tax benefit comes from where you register. it is actually where the

business is head quartered. if you are head quartered in nevada, florida or texas, those types of states where there are favorable tax treatments in your businesses, that is great. it doesn't matter where you register in the grand scheme of things. >> as you continue to grow your business, you will think about where to put different types of operations based on tax advantage. you might have one office here and if you are doing distribution, you might set that up somewhere else and be negotiating on a municipal level, taxes, if that is something you want to have experts involved in and look at every aspect of your business to maximize it. >> how do you figure this out? >> a tax expert. it is very complex. >> thank you both so much. fantastic advice. if any of you have a question for our experts, go to our website. the address is openforum.com/yourbusiness. when you get that, hit the ask the show link to submit a question. the website is openforum.com/yourbusiness. if you would rather, send us an

e-mail. the address is yourbusiness@msnbc.com. larry and jessica had some really helpful advice about how to improve your business. now, let's get some great ideas from small business owners like you. >> i have been dealing with rejection a lot. i've learned that when people have something to say about your product, you need to, yes, take it with a grain of salt. look where it is coming from. is this person jealous? is this person in competition with you or is this person really trying to give you some criticism or constructive advice? >> i highly recommend any woman-owned business or minority-owned business to get certified, certification has helped grow my business and help take it to the next level. it has opened up a whole world of opportunities that we wouldn't have access if we were not certified. >> whatever your business is, ultimately, you want to make money.

go to your chamber of commerce and find out what they have to offer, whether it is certifications or workshops and networking, just introducing yourself to different organizations and rubbing elbows with the shakers and movers. >> how is it that one service can get tons of free trial users but fail at converting them into paid subscriptions while another similar business is successful at attracting and creating customer loyalty? our next guest shares his tips on how to inspire lasting commitments and repeat buyers. he is the creator of the duct tape marketing and consulting network and author of the brand new book "the commitment engine, making work worth it kth." great to see you. congratulations on the book. this is a big issue, creating customer loyalty. keeping a customer is much cheaper than getting a brand new one. let's dive right in. you talk about teaching your

customers. how does that have to do with loyalty? >> one of the things that happens is somebody buys something and they expect a result. we promise a result. we do everything that we say to deliver on the product or the service but then for whatever reason, they don't get the result. i think sometimes i think we underestimate somebody buys, i think you used soft wear as a great example. they only use about 10% of it. we want to continue to educate them on all the ways to get the most out of it. truly, as you mentioned, greatest form of lead generation is a happy customer. one that is using and getting the full results and mastering whatever it is that we promise. >> i have to say, john, in my own experience, a lot of times when customers have been unhappy with customers that i have worked with, it is because they don't understand something, something that we are offering. they get confused. >> we sell products online and we survey our customers immediately afterwards. i can't tell you how many times that we had a customer that was unhappy. it was because they lost their

password or something silly like that. once we were able to reconnect them to the product, they were thrilled. having that sort of follow-up to make sure everything went well is certainly a necessary piece of of it. is that what you mean by reviewing results or talking to your customers? >> that's one of my favorites that i think every company, no matter what they said needs to have a results review, a process where you go back 60, 90 days, whatever it is, and make sure that the client got what was promised. i think three things are going to happen. they are either going to say, gosh, no, with he didn't really and you get to fix it, which is great or they are going to tell you that, yes, we love it. we are thrilled. we couldn't be happier. that's a place for you to get a case study or for you to get a testimonial or a referral. adding more value, is this like a free gift with purchase that somebody doesn't expect?

>> well, i suppose that could be one element. what i really talk about is, i think one of the greatest ways for us to be more valuable to r clients is to become a resource for them. if we sell one product or service, we know that they have 8, 10, 50 other needs in order to get what they want out of their business or their life. what i advise people to do is build a team of best of class providers for all of the products and services that you know your customers are going to need and make a habit of introducing those people. when you are seen as the provider i go to when i have a challenge, you develop tremendous customer loyalty. >> and you develop good relationships with people in your industry. finally, surprise them. surprise your customers. how? >> that might be the free gift one you are alluding to a little

more. i think we all, one of the things about creating customer loyalty, creating referrals, it is that we have to do something that makes people talk. i think that so often in our business transactions and maybe in life, we are actually disappointed when we buy things. so i think that if you become the company that overdelivers, you do overnight shipping when they thought they were going to get it in 3-5 days or you give them a whole bunch. i bought a pair of shoes and they through in a couple pair of sox. it was over and above. >> it doesn't have to be huge. all right, john, so great to see you. hope to see you soon. >> thanks. to learn more about today's show, just click on our website. it is openforum.com/your business. you will find all of today's segments, plus web exclusive content with more information to help your business grow. and, you can follow us on twitter. it is @msnbcyour deabusiness.

next week, we head to the digital world expo in las vegas to get some tips of how to grow your business using technology. we have the scoop on everything you as a small business owner should have on your radar. until then, i am j.j. ramberg. remember, we make your business our business. we make a simple thing. a thing that helps you buy other things. but plenty of companies do that. so we make something else. we help make life a little easier, more convenient, more rewarding, more entertaining. yefter year.