ANTenna Blog -- Business & E-Business

With sales paltry and the outlook weak, small and midsize businesses are looking for every possible way to trim costs. These 7 tips will help business owners cut without crippling the business.

Inc. called on the mindshare of some today's most innovative leader to share their tips and tricks for how to cut costs in creative, innovative ways. The slideshow presentation includes photos of each business leader.

1. Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method, a San Francisco-based consumer products company says, "Piggyback On Someone Else's Marketing Efforts."
2. Robert Stephens of Geek Squad, a Best Buy subsidiary based in Richfield, Minn., says, "Make Saving Money A Game For Workers."
3. Keith McFarland, founder of McFarland Strategy Partners, and author of "The Breakthrough Company" says, "Be Brutally Honest."
4. Paul Graham of Y Combinator, a Cambridge, Mass. group that funds high-tech start-ups says, "Make Good Use Of All The Free Software That Exists."
5. Scott Anthony, CEO of Innosight, a Watertown, Mass. consulting firm that helps businesses grow through innovation says, "Simplify Your Product."
6. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Las Vegas-based shoe-selling Web site Zappos.com says, "Pay Employees To Quit."
7. Richard Thalheimer, founder of The Sharper Image says, "Move Customer Service To E-Mail"

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