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It’s sometimes hard to admit it, but as we get older we have to acknowledge that mom often did know best. With Mother’s Day just behind us, I thought it would be worth revisiting some lessons our moms taught us that can help not only in life, but also in business.

1. Clean up. Mom taught you to always wash your face, comb your hair and look presentable. It’s equally important for your business image to shine. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so whether it’s your storefront, your office lobby or your website’s home page, make sure your business looks inviting, up-to-date and appealing.
2. Be friendly. Mom told you to smile, look people in the eye and be polite. The same rules apply in business. People want to do business with people they like, so being considerate, polite and friendly matter, whether it’s you or your employees.
3. Share. You didn’t always want to, but Mom made you share the last cookie with your sister and your toys with your friends. Whether you’re interacting offline or in social media world, an attitude of sharing—towards business partners, customers and prospects—will get you far. Make it a point to be generous, and you’ll get back more than you give.
4. Tell the truth. Whether you hit a baseball through the neighbor’s window or flunked a spelling test, honesty is the best policy (because Mom always finds out anyway). In business, too, customers value honesty more than ever—and they’ll spread the word about your honest approach to their friends and colleagues.
5. Always do your best. Mom didn’t care if you were the best—she only cared if you tried your hardest. Customers, too, can tell when you’re not putting forth your best effort but only going through the motions. If they don’t get your full efforts, they won’t stick around.
6. Appreciate your unique gifts. Maybe you weren’t the team captain or the head cheerleader, but Mom showed you how to appreciate what was special about you. Don’t make your business a copycat of your competitors—focus on what makes your business different and better.

Know who else can be your biggest cheerleader? A SCORE Mentor. If you don’t already have one, visit SCORE’s website to get matched with a Mentor for free business advice 24/7. They’ll be almost as supportive as your mom—although they probably won’t bake you cookies.

Rieva Lesonsky - CEO, GrowBiz Media Rieva is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a content and consulting company specializing in covering small businesses and entrepreneurship. She was formerly Editorial Director of Entrepreneur Magazine and has written several books about small business and entrepreneurship. www.growbizmedia.com | @rieva | More from Rieva

Many news outlets and organizations –- often with underlying political or economic agendas – use statistical proxies for “small business friendliness” like tax rates, unemployment levels, etc. This past week a new survey conducted by Thumbtack decided to go straight to the source and poll directly small business owners throughout the country. Over 6,000 business owners responded, rating their city and state across several categories. The results were interesting, and surprisingly non-political:

• Nationwide, the best predictors of small business friendliness were not tax-code related but rather:
  • Whether the respondent was aware of the state or local government offering training programs for small businesses
  • The ease of using/understanding licensing forms, requirements and fees
  • How the owner thinks his/her company’s financial situation will be twelve months from now
• By state, the results varied widely. For example in California, employment labor and hiring regulations were important in determining friendliness, while in Texas more weight was placed on tax code and tax-related regulations.
• Politics has little effect. Ratings of state supportiveness did not vary significantly by political orientation. (In the survey, respondents self identified as conservative, liberal, or independent.)
• Small business owners ranked Idaho and Texas as the most business-friendly states, with Oklahoma City and Dallas-Ft. Worth taking top honors among cities across the nation. Vermont and Rhode Island found themselves on the opposite end of the spectrum, joined in the bottom-five by New York and California.

You can see the results by state and by 40 key cities here.

How small business friendly is your city/state? Share in the Comments section below.

PS. Since this month we are talking about advertising, posting your business on Thumbtack can be a great way to get at local potential customers interested in your services. As of this writing, Thumbtack helps connect over 250,000 local businesses (such as photographers, tutors, carpenters, etc.) with potential customers.

Jeanne Rossomme - President, RoadMap Marketing Jeanne uses her 20 years of marketing know-how to help small business owners reach their goals. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she held a variety of marketing positions with DuPont and General Electric. Jeanne regularly hosts online webinars and workshops in both English and Spanish. www.roadmapmarketing.com | @roadmapmarketin | More from Jeanne