Small businesses get free advice
CitySquares Online Inc. saw sales start to decline dramatically in late 2008 as some of the local-search-engine provider’s customers could no longer afford its advertising services.
So the small business turned to its board of six volunteer advisers-experts in areas such as sales, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship and venture capital-who suggested expanding the Web site beyond its northeast footprint.
CitySquares followed that advice and now has four national-advertising customers, up from zero a year ago. Last month, the search engine saw roughly two million unique visitors, compared with 500,000 in September 2008. “The advisory board helped us come up with a plan” and “ultimately arrive at safer shores,” says Ben Saren, co-founder of the Boston firm, which launched in 2005 and has 11 employees. Read more:
