Category: Insights
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How to Start an AI Pilot in a Small Business: A 30-Day Plan
A practical 30-day plan for a first AI pilot in a small or mid-size business: picking the use case, protecting data, measuring results and deciding whether to scale.
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How to Run an RFQ and Score Suppliers: A Template
A step-by-step RFQ process for small and mid-size manufacturers, with an RFQ checklist, a weighted supplier scorecard template and a hypothetical scoring example.
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CMMC Basics for Small Manufacturers: What Applies Now
A plain-English guide to CMMC for small defense suppliers as of October 2026: the levels, what Phase 1 requires, the Phase 2 suspension, and a practical readiness checklist.
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How to Write a Business Plan for an SBA Loan
What lenders look for in a business plan for an SBA loan, section by section, with a lender-ready checklist, a projection template and a hypothetical break-even example.
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How to Calculate Landed Cost with Tariffs (Worked Example)
A step-by-step landed cost formula for importers, with a fully worked, clearly hypothetical example that adds duties, tariffs, CBP fees, freight and carrying cost.
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How AI Is Changing Small Business Marketing (and What to Do About It)
What AI tools are good at in small business marketing, where they create risk, what Google and the FTC have said, and a practical, human-in-charge way to use them.
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Local SEO Checklist for Boston Small Businesses
A practical, step-by-step local SEO checklist for Boston and Greater Boston small businesses, built on Google’s and Bing’s own documentation, with the compliance rules for reviews.
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S&OP in Plain English
What sales and operations planning really is, the five steps of a typical monthly cycle, who should be in the room, and the signs that your S&OP process is working.
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Demand Forecasting Basics Every Planner Should Know
The building blocks of demand forecasting: patterns in the data, simple methods that work, how to measure accuracy and bias, and habits that make forecasts more useful.
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Tariff Exposure: A Supplier Risk Checklist for Manufacturers
A ten-step, non-legal checklist for mapping tariff exposure across your supplier base, sizing it in dollars, and building a practical response plan with your broker and trade counsel.