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With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading small business management expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.

Small business knowledge test from Profits Plus

Answer each of the 20 multiple choice questions. At the bottom of the page, click on the submit button. Within a couple of seconds you will have your score as well as the answers to any questions you answered incorrectly.

1. Customers walking into a business, traditionally:
Look and walk to the left
Look and walk to the right
Turn around and walk out
Look for someone to wait on them


2. What percentage of shoplifters are reported to the authorities?
90%
25%
50%
75%


3. A new customer costs an average of $20. A current one costs:
$20
$15
$9
$4


4. Surveys show a merchant's greatest concern is:
Category killer stores
Staffing
Internet
Economy

5. By explaining the benefits of a unique product, your price can be higher than the competition by what percentage?:
0%
20%
5%
10%


6. The most frequent reason a business fails is:
Advertising
Employees
Location
Cashflow

7. The average price of an item taken by a non-professional shoplifter is :
$5
$20
$27
$55


8. "Keystone" means:
Pennsylvania
A beer
Selling price is twice the cost
No freight factor


9. The percentage of new businesses surviving 5 years is:
85%
5%
50%
63%


10. The percentage of new businesses surviving 10 years is:
2%
50%
25%
33%


11. As a percentage of sales, shoplifting is approximately:
3% - 4%
4% - 5%
1% - 2%
2% - 3%


12. How does most "shrinkage" occur?
Shoplifters
Employees
Poor paperwork
Vendor errors


13. Where does most employee theft occur?
Sales floor
Stock area
Point of sale
Receiving area


14. A "yes" or "no" answer is a response to what type of question?
Leading
Assumptive
Open ended
Close ended


15. 2/10 means:
1/5% discount
2 out of 10 people pay their bills
2% discount if paid within 10 days
it is an expression for use with CB radios


16. "Open to Buy" means:
I am in the mood to day to write a purchase order
Looking over the shelves to see if any additional inventory is needed
a method of calculating how much inventory should be in the business
it is the time of year when most trade shows are held


17. When standing before a customer, a sales person's arms and hands should be:
Arms at our side, hands with palms up
Folded in a cross arm configuration
It makes no difference
In your pocket


18. The best selling space in a business is:
2'-3' from the floor
stacked on the floor
hung from the ceiling
4' to 6 1/2' from the floor


19. Businesses frequently determine their advertising budget as:
No set pattern
Set dollar amount
Percentage of net profit
Percentage of sales

20. FOB: Destination means:
Beats me
Friend of Bill at the Destination Tavern
Freight paid by the customer
Freight paid by the shipper

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Tom Shay
PO Box 128
Dardanelle, AR 72834
(727)823-7205

MAY 2026
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Small Business

AdvisoriES


"It's all fun and games", is the title of the May Small Business Advisory. Too many employees think the business owner is simply renting their time. Showing up is sufficient.

 

This month's advisory shares a series of engaging activities that remind, and reward, employees that making the sale is what creates their pay check.

Small Business

NewS

Top Story

Meeting with the accountant in February before the tax return is due. I am not sure how this became a tradition. There is nothing you can do to change the numbers for 2025.

 

Why not meet in May, instead? One-third of the year would be completed, and a May meeting would allow for a discussion about what can and should be changed for the last eight months of 2026.

Article of the Month

The article of the month for May is titled, "No more tears". The discussion focuses on inventory which is a great investment in your business. But, only if you know how to manage the "open to buy" and will monitor the inventory turn rate.


Book of the Month

Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, PhD. As one who has found over the years that many of the problems in a small business occur because of the mindset of the owner of the business, this book is a must read.

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.
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BOOK US

With over 25 years of frontline experience Tom Shay is America's leading Small Business Management Expert. He's a "Must Have" for your next event.

Small Business

Advisories

The April Small Business Advisory quotes research performed by a faculty member at Purdue. The question was asked of 20,000 people, "What do you want in an experience with a business?".

 

The advisory shares the top five answers, for which the majority require the skills that only a human can have. It is not artificual intelligence or software that deals with customer service management.

Small Business

News

 

Top Story

It has been many years since we received an email from Ron of Arrow Floor Covering. Yet we still read it time and again as there are words of wisdom in his message.

 

Would the next generation want to work in your small business?


Article of the Month

Owning a small business has a lot of similarities to owning a small business. Not so much because of the hours you spent with the business, but because of the commitment you are making to yourself, your employees and your customers.

 

The April Article of the Month is titled, "With this ring, I thee wed".


Book of the Month

Everything in the April edition of Small Business News has a tie to the connection of you and your employees to your business. The same is true with this month's book suggestion which is, "Hit Refresh" by Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft.

 

All this plus the Internet Tool for Your Business and a staff incentive idea for your business.