Hey all! I hope everyone had a great weekend. It was a long three-day Memorial Day weekend for those of us here in the US. Here’s this week’s roundup of must-read articles and tips for small businesses.

• There are some commonalities in the sales process many high-growth companies use. This article shares some of those secrets: bit.ly/1sfwxVf
• Coworking has been round for a while – and many of us have used them at some point or another. This article provides an interesting look inside a growing movement of coworking spaces for ATYPICAL entrepreneurs: bit.ly/1Z5Low6
• Not all content marketing tools have to cost a lot of money. This article lists some of the lesser-known content marketing tools you can use for free: onforb.es/1WWGwvK
• Do you use Snapchat personally and/or for business? This article shares some things your company needs to know to get started on Snapchat: bit.ly/1XzDb4h
• We think about the different skills we have to build to become great leaders. One that might be overlooked is listening: bit.ly/1WPGd5t
• The path from early-stage company to growth company is a huge transition. This article focuses on how this transition typically happens: bit.ly/1WPFLEe
• Challenges are just a normal part of our business lives. This article provides tips for how to turn challenges into victories: bit.ly/27SRrK8
• You may have heard about in-store beacons that can detect when someone enters a store and targets them with offers. This article shows how consumer packaged goods may be leading the push toward in-store beacons: read.bi/1XSO1Tn
• SEO is critical to the success of your website. This article gives a really solid SEO checklist for website owners: bit.ly/22nRGce
• Developing influence is a goal many of us have as a business leaders. This article argues that instead of trying to increase your influence, you should grow your “capacity”: bit.ly/1TUzVvc
• It’s important to develop a culture that embraces creativity. This article shares how  the right amount of competition may help with creativity: nyti.ms/1TxnHJm
• A brand’s name and how it sounds might impact how people view your brand. This article discusses how brand names are important: bit.ly/246aTi2
• Facebook ads might make sense for small businesses in particular. This article describes why that’s true: huff.to/1WNZ6X2
• There is research that shows that local business need to improve their web presence. This article shares some details about how to do that: bit.ly/1WKYII9
• It’s difficult for a local store to challenge larger competitors. This article highlights the story of a company that took on big-box stores using humor in their ads: bit.ly/25ccMMq
• This article questions whether retailers are pushing too many resources out of bricks-and-mortar stores? cnb.cx/1Rl0UxQ

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Last week I was thinking a lot about how small businesses can set themselves apart – not just from larger competitors, but also from other small businesses. Here are a few tips I shared:

• IDiscover Daily Tip: Small businesses should have personality that is engaging and reflects the company’s culture.
• Your small business can stand out by developing trust though openness, honesty, and transparency.
• Make your small business as “human” and personalized as possible. It will helps set your company apart.
• As a small business must be involved in your local community. Be visible. It can make your company stand out.
• One way to make your small business stand out from competitors is to ask customers for feedback. VERY few do it.

And I wrote my latest blog post about that topic as well: 6 Ways Your Small Business Can Stand Out From The Crowd. I hope you give it a read and let me know what you think.