In a perfect world, businesses grow in a smooth, upward trajectory that is both predictable and deliberate. There are no slow times...no staff upheavals...no sleepless nights...

Clearly, I'm living in the wrong place.

In my world, business grows the same way that Elaine Benes (from Seinfeld) dances: everything looks perfectly normal, but then the music starts and suddenly we're witnessing a herky-jerky motion with very little rhyme and sometimes no reason. Sooner or later, someone's going to lose an eye.

Now that we've identified the strengths of your small business (February) and discussed how to create a game plan that makes the most of those strengths (March), it's time to put that game plan into action.

Step 3. Execute and evolve that plan, and continue to build momentum.

Your game plan will be unique to your business, industry and personality type. Whether you're playing Monopoly, chess or LIFE (see March column), your plan can succeed only if it's actually carried out.

Last month, we talked about the first step in growing your business: identifying both your strengths and your opportunities. This month, we'll move on to the next step:

Step 2. Create a game plan that builds on those strengths and takes advantage of those opportunities.

Now that you know what elements of your business work for you and what objections your prospects may have about working with a small company, it's time to develop a profile of your company. Here's where we figure out if you're playing Monopoly, chess, or LIFE.

Factoid #1: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2006, there were about 13.6 million companies nationwide, employing almost 120 million Americans.

Factoid #2: More than five million of those companies have fewer than 20 workers each and -- all told -- these five million firms employ 21 million people.

Before going any further, let me make it clear that this article is not, in any way, condoning violence. (Sorry to disappoint you.) It won't talk about the neatest way to dispose of body parts, or help you figure out how to avoid jail time for opening up a can of whoop-a** on your neighbor.

However, after careful study, I've realized that what you need to promote your business effectively are the same things you need to commit the perfect murder. (Hypothetically, of course; remember, no humans were hurt in the creation of this article.)

Here's how...

At first glance, it may seem that there's no possible connection between a delicious processed meat product and the endless proliferation of junk email we all receive. And yet, if you think about it, there really are a few similarities between the two. For instance...

Ever wondered how to get one of those short ads on the top or side of your Google, Yahoo or Bing search page? Those short pay-per-click (PPC) ads are related to the keywords you entered in the search field, and they circulate on a rotating basis.

The great news for you is that any business of any size can post those ads...and can get noticed!

How can you take advantage of this targeted ad placement? There are few key steps...

I'm only three degrees from Kevin Bacon. And I'm three degrees from Hillary Clinton. In fact, I'm only two degrees from Barack Obama. (Sadly, Cal Ripken, Jr. is out of my network.)

How do I know this? Because LinkedIn tells me so.

LinkedIn and other networking services like Facebook, Twitter, StartUp Nation, Qapacity, Classmates.com exist for one reason: to connect people with other people. The reason for the connection and the tone of the introduction may vary depending on the networking site, but the mission is still the same.

Do you remember the virtual pet fad in the mid to late 90s? Thousands of children (and yes, some adults, too) had keyrings with digital "pets" that required virtual food and virtual care. They got sick, made messes and could even pass into the great digital beyond. (Not to worry; you could reset them back to life.)

Since summer's soon winding to a close, it seems fitting to ask: how many former library geeks remember the Dewey Decimal System?

Bueller...? Bueller...?

The Dewey Decimal Classification (or "DDC" as it's called) is the basic system created in the late 1800s to categorize and organize public libraries. It uses an established structure to group information so it's easier to find.