It’s not often you see the words “Tablet” and “Productivity” in a sentence and have it mean something positive. For those who don’t know, Tablet PCs are the class of computer that is essentially a touch screen monitor. They look like bigger versions of Smart Phones. If you’ve seen an Apple iPad (aff), then you’ve seen … Read more
If you’ve considered starting a business, then you’ve probably wondered if you should start as a website, then maybe a physical storefront, or maybe you wanted to rent that vacant building down the street. Which is best for you will depend on many different factors, some of which are specific to you alone. A website … Read more
Recently, Google rolled out Business Pages for their social network Google+ (pronounced Google Plus). If you are an early adopter, then you already know about Google+, but if you’ve never heard of it, then let me fill you in. Google originally tried to roll out a social network called Google Buzz, but it failed. Google+ … Read more
Starting a business is a process consumed with decisions, some easy and some difficult. Honestly, a business is really just the result of a bunch of related decisions. When you start a business, you are forced to confront decisions that you would probably rather avoid. You’ll be forced to make: Ethical Decisions Customer Service Decisions … Read more
Recently we’ve talked about twitter marketing. There are many reasons why you would want to market on twitter: Connecting with your customers Displaying your human side Learning about customers’ needs and having fun Before the Internet and social media, it was a lot harder to connect with your customers on a personal level. Now, it … Read more
If you have ever had trouble seeing where your customers are coming from, wanted more information on what systems are performing best for you, or just want to add a new tool to your marketing tool bag, then let me introduce you to URL Shorteners. If you have ever seen a URL that starts with … Read more
Starting a business is a huge endeavor, and if you do it by yourself, it can be a very lonely one. Few can argue the advantages of having people on your team. Having a network of people who help you is a huge competitive advantage compared to going it alone. When you have teammates this … Read more
If there is anything that I’ve learned in the last few years while running businesses, it would be that marketing is difficult. No, I’m not talking about the class in college that you skipped, or slept through, but the actual action of marketing your business. I’ve admitted this in the past that I never gave … Read more
When starting a business, you must figure out how you plan to finance it. There are tons of options such as: Bank Loans Private & Angel Investors Grants Government Assistance and Bootstrapping This is just a sample of the many ways a person can finance their new business. Today, we’re going to discuss bootstrapping a … Read more
Twitter is a relatively mature service now. Most people have heard of twitter, or tweeting, but many people still don’t understand how to leverage twitter to market their business. Twitter marketing isn’t difficult, and we’re going to cover it in this article. For those who may not have heard of Twitter, it is a service … Read more
Countless people fall victim to the idea that they’ll finally retire by starting a website that will earn them thousands of dollars each night as they sleep. You’ve probably seen the infomercials: Buy real estate for pennies on the dollar. Property flipping with no risk. eBay Millions in Minutes. Make money while you sleep. Turn … Read more
Are you an artistically gifted person? Are you good with your hands, paint, thread, scissors, or any other crafting tools? Then earning money online may have just gotten easier for you. For those who don’t already know, Etsy is an online marketplace for handmade goods, and vintage items. Before you start thinking “it’s the eBay … Read more
Your customer is angry because someone dropped the ball. Whether it was you, your wife, your employee, or your dog, it doesn’t matter; all that matters is the customer is upset. What questions will you be asking yourself? What’s going to happen next? Will they tarnish my Better Business Bureau rating? Was it bad enough … Read more
If you are a business owner, or you are starting a business, then you will undoubtedly face the dilemma of firing an employee. There are a million reasons to fire an employee, and about a million ways to perform this bitter task. Today, we are talking about firing employees improperly. Naturally, you probably think I’m … Read more
Yesterday, I purchased 3 coupons on Restaurant.com for a local pizzeria. They were $25.00 coupons that were purchased for $10 and I got an additional discount through my company. The coupons have a $35.00 minimum purchase, and last night, I had an interesting experience trying to use them. My expectations were simple: go to the … Read more
If you do any research into starting a business, you’re guaranteed to come across the phrase “finding a niche” somewhere. A niche is a specialization, it basically means finding your place in the market. There are many products that serve many different market segments, and this is because of market fragmentation. What is market fragmentation? … Read more
Recently, I attended a SCORE.org Business Planning webinar and thought it might be beneficial to provide a bit of an overview for you. If you feel this might be a webinar you would like to take, then there will be a link for it at the bottom of this article. The first point tackled in … Read more
Last time, we wrote about “What to do when your business is failing“, and we discussed tactics such as: Efficiency Management Volunteers and Interns Product Line and Marketing Your Product. Those are excellent areas to improve your existing business, but planning can help prevent a mid-business crisis. Surely, you’ve probably heard of a business plan, … Read more
So your business could be doing better, right? People cite many reasons for their business doing badly such as: Bad Economy Lazy Partners Political Climate And just about any other thing they can come up with. In short, it is someone-else’s fault. Sometimes, I feel bad for “someone-else” because it seems like he is always … Read more
If you’ve ever worked for a corporation, then I’m sure you’ve heard of “Corporate Stability.” Corporate stability, in the context that we are discussing, refers to how comfy, cushy, and stable your corporate job is. Corporate stability is largely a myth perpetuated by fear. Decades back, I’m sure it was a real thing, but anyone … Read more
We’ve written about SCORE.org a couple of times. If you’re unfamiliar with SCORE.org, then read our article titled “Entrepreneur Starting A Business?” As a quick refresher, SCORE is a non-profit organization in partnership with the Small Business Administration, whose entire goal is to assist small business owners. This is accomplished a number of ways which … Read more