There's a lot to be said for the quaint, little, independently owned boutique that survives solely on a Yellow Pages listing (in print), a single landline contact number and advertising through word of mouth.

It can be a real treat to wander into a store like this and browse through the wonderful goodies that it has for sale, speak to someone who has worked there for over 40 years without altering anything in their approach to sales and marketing or the produce that they have to sell.

However, that's where the fun ends and that's also where the business stops. Stores like this rely on the one-off novelty factor and they're never going to be sound business ventures, in the long or short term. If you're looking to make money from your business, you need to get technological. You need to get mobile!

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