For example: My barber can join local bakery, video store, pizza parlor, coffee shop and florist to develop a "Neighborhood Comfort Catalog." The catalog simply lists each store and benefits they provide (plus discounts on products and services!). Each partner places catalog in their respective stores and uses it to refer business to each other.

Octopus Marketing starts with an effective message. Businesses must define how they uniquely contribute to community and translate that into an effective story. By developing a message based on their passion, businesses reveal benefit they offer to themselves and their customers.

After identifying their own unique benefits, a business owner can then partner with others and define main benefit that Octopus Network offers to community. This benefit is what will move customers to action.

With message identified they can then discover unique ways to market each other's businesses or conduct joint promotions. It can be as simple as asking customers if they have tried fresh pizza next door or passing out coupons that offer discounts on their goods and services. The result is that reach of their tentacles grows.

To stretch tentacles of Octopus even further, businesses can partner with larger organizations to get word out. Combine community octopus with a neighborhood church, temple or community organization. These organizations reach a lot of potential customers.

Businesses should continue to tap Octopus to keep network thriving. They can approach local neighborhood paper to publish comfort catalog in a special community page. Or find out if local gym or YMCA will distribute it to their members. What about Chamber of Commerce, isn't it there to help?

By uniting together, small businesses can strengthen community, deliver what customers need plus help create opportunity for nation's collective future. One small business at a time, we will build a compassionate nation that spends money on good stuff.

Once you accept that some areas are going to be initially less than perfect (Providing you with opportunity over time to improve.), challenge is to figure out what makes sense for your business and site. When is it critical to optimize and when is less than perfect acceptable?

When considering specialist's advice, ask yourself these five questions:

1) Does it solve a problem?

One of best ways to comprehend importance of an action is to relate it to a problem. If you think strategically - first identifying your major problems, then designing solutions to solve those problems - your business is more likely to thrive.

2) What are my alternatives?

There is always more than one solution to a problem. If you evaluate different approaches, you will ultimately make better decisions.

3) What are downsides?

Perfection and optimization are in eyes of beholder. What you see as a disadvantage may seem trivial to specialists. Ask questions and do some research on your own to uncover downsides.

4) Is it likely to be profitable *for me*?

It is a cruel fact that larger companies can afford programs that smaller companies and individuals cannot. If you have to go into debt or dramatically reduce other critical activities to implement a program, your cost increases dramatically. In these cases, carefully weigh resources required against potential gain.

5) What happens if I do not do this?

Some activities are "niceties" and some are necessities. Know difference. If you are losing customers to other sites or businesses, for example, taking action is critical. Some activities - those you *want* to do but do not help solve a significant problem - can be pushed to back burner.

Incorporating The Big Picture into your decision-making is critical. When you ask yourself these five questions, you are in a better position to make right decision. Your business depends on it.