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Mary Harcourt's Small Business Trends Contributions on Marketing, Budgeting, and Work Travel
Mary Harcourt, founder and CEO of CosmoGlo, has been featured across several Small Business Trends roundups, sharing practical, experience-based advice on running a business. Below is a collection of her contributions.
Want to Make Your Social Media Content Stand Out?
Big brands have to appeal to as many people as possible. Small businesses do not have to play that game, and that is exactly their advantage. Mary explains that small businesses can take a niche and target the specific buyers within it, something major brands are rarely positioned to do. People drawn to a particular specialty will gravitate toward the small business that owns that space rather than the broader competitor trying to be everything to everyone.
Need to Cut Down Your Budget?
The fastest place to find extra budget is often hiding in plain sight: your bank statement. Mary points out that most businesses sign up for far more programs than they end up using. Her advice is to start by cutting subscriptions that have gone untouched for months, then take a closer look at the platforms still in active use to confirm the business is actually on the most cost-effective plan available.
Marketing Locally?
As the world becomes more virtual by the year, the businesses that show up in person stand out more, not less. Mary notes that local marketing gives businesses a face-to-face option that nothing online can fully replace. A handshake and a person just a few doors away still carries weight that a screen cannot replicate.
Having Trouble Focusing on Work?
Sometimes the fastest way back to focus has nothing to do with your to-do list and everything to do with your body. Mary describes a simple reset: ten deep inhales and exhales, paired with a toe touch and a reach toward the sky to stretch the spine. This two-minute exercise can be repeated as needed, but even a single round is often enough to realign focus when time is tight.
Traveling for Work?
Loyalty is not just a feel-good word in business travel, it actually pays. Mary explains that staying loyal to favorite hotels, airlines, and rental car companies tends to get travelers better treatment than hopping between brands for every trip. Buying into a brand's ecosystem unlocks specials, promotions, and perks that compound the more consistently they are used.
Communicating Bad News to Staff and Stakeholders
Bad news lands differently depending on how it is delivered, and that starts long before the conversation does. Mary's approach is to take a moment to absorb the news and consider it from every angle before saying anything out loud. Once a leader has made peace with what happened, they are in a far better position to think clearly and arrive at a solution. Only then should the news be shared, delivered in a tone that stays positive even while addressing something difficult.