Every day we have visitors to our web site seeking small business ideas - many questions are related to how best they can grow their family business.

“A common problem for many family business owners is that they spend so much time working “in” their business that they fail to make time to work “on” their businesses,” according to leading family business expert Don Schwerzler “Successful family businesses make time to develop the infrastructure needed to help the business grow in size and profits.”

Schwerzler has been studying family business entrepreneurs for more than 40 years and he is the founder of the Family Business Institute which is headquartered in Atlanta GA.

Implementing a few common sense small business ideas can make the difference between success and failure.

Having an Accounting Information System in place is not the same as understanding your accounting system. We think it is a smart idea to buy an hour of time each month from your CPA to go over the numbers - to better understand how decisions that are being made and actions taken impact cash flow and the bottom line. One of the best small business ideas for family businesses interested in growing their business is called CB – the management guide. It is not a fancy publication but it poses 160 key business questions for family business owners and their management teams – a quick way to develop a management “to do” list!

Establishing (even a one member) an Advisory Board is a sure-fire way to have a safety net for the business should the owner die or be incapacitated. Moreover, the advisory board can help keep the business owner focused on the goals and objectives of the business. An advisory board member should be someone who is not already connected to the business – and someone who is not a family member.

One of the smartest of small business ideas is to having an effective web site. So many family businesses have a web site but it is simply an electronic brochure. Your web site might look “pretty” but if it is not getting a lot of traffic and producing leads and sales – your web site is not working. Consider your web site as a profit center for your business! We think Site Build It is simply the best platform available and the best deal in the market place.

The 4 Ps of Marketing is one of those great small business ideas that has been around for a number of years – but nevertheless has remained relevant. Every business owner needs to understand how all of the “front end” strategies are connected – Product - place - Price - Promotion

When it comes to better organizing a family business, implementing an ERP System makes our list of top small business ideas. Originally associated with large multi-national companies with deep pockets and armies of technical folks to implement the systems - that has all changed. Today, ERP systems are available that range from “free” to very costly, depending on the needs of the business.

Whether it is as Will or Buy-Sell Agreement or a Loan Agreement or the many other types of Downloadable Legal Documents - getting things down on paper is one of those small business ideas that can save a lot of money, time and aggravation

Fractional Executives can meet the needs of a growing family business in a cost effective and flexible way. Now a family business that could benefit from a C-level executive but where the company is not large enough to support the cost of a full timer, a fractional executive would be the answer!