Archive for February, 2009

Silver lining for small businesses

By | February 26, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

It’s an old saying:  Behind every dark cloud there’ s a silver lining.  That’s also true of a recession, which oftentimes for cloud1small business means opportunities.  In a recent piece by Matthew Bandyk in US News & World Report’s Small Business and Entrepreneurs section, he outlines some of those silver linings.

It’s an interesting look at trends that occur during a recession which spur small business growth.  For example, job security oftentimes hampers the development of small businesses because people aren’t willing to take the risk.  In a downturn, that risk might become more palatable.  Another is that while borrowing has become more difficult, it’s also much cheaper for those that can secure loans. The prime rate in the US has gone from 8% to 3.5%.

Also, many industries actually grow during a recession, so they might be advantageous to get into or emulate. You can find the entire story here.

Are you seeing any silver linings to the recession?  Has it prompted you to finally launch your business?

Are you sure you want to be an entrepreneur?

By | February 24, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

With all the talk about how to succeed in business these days, with the struggling economy and challenges that bigpic_man_thinking_pencil_01everyone is facing, few people are asking if becoming an entrepreneur and starting a small business is even a wise decision.  For those of you who might be thinking about jumping into the fray and finally starting out on your own, there are a number of key questions that you have to ask yourself, as Kelly Spors from the Wall Street Journal points out in her recent story which can be found here. This is a good look at many of the elements that have to be considered before you make the big decision.

Kelly outlines a number of hard questions a budding entrepreneur must ask themselves before staking their own claim.  She also offers some sobering statistics, including how roughly half of all start ups close within five years.

Some of the questions include, “Are you willing to sacrifice your lifestyle for a number of years,” and “Do you like all aspects of running a small business.”  These are all things that one must consider before taking the plunge into small business ownership.

As a small business owner, did you sit down and answer a number of key questions before deciding to start your own venture?  What were they, and have they changed over the years?

Tips sure to help on your taxes

By | February 20, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | 1 Comment
Image: Targetwoman.com

Image: Targetwoman.com

Earlier today I came across John Tozzi’s latest column on BusinessWeek’s small business blog. The piece, Hidden Tax Tips for Entrepreneurs is a worthwhile read for small business owners looking to maximize their deductions this year.

One of the more interesting points in the piece comes from CPA/Author Bernard Kamoroff:

Don’t expect your accountant to find all the deductions you qualify for—your accountant doesn’t know your spending as intimately as you do. Read more…

Small Business Success Story – Pressed Sandwiches

By | February 18, 2009 | Offline Marketing | No comments
Image Cortesy Pressed

Image Courtesy Pressed

Last week we asked for your small business success stories so that we could share your experience with other readers and small business owners. Today we’ll feature two strategies from Pressed Sandwiches in Boston, courtesy of Dan H, that touch upon customer retention and acquisition. Read more…

Are you a small business success story?

By | February 12, 2009 | Offline Marketing, Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing | No comments
www.csuohio.edu

Has your business seen tremendous success with a marketing campaign? Do you retain and acquire new customers in a unique way? Would you like to pen a guest column offering advice for other small business owners?

If you answered yes to any of these questions we’d like to hear from you. Please email publicrelations(at)vistaprint.com and let us know your story. We will post stories from the submissions on this blog along with images that you provide and a link back to your Web site.

What are you waiting for? This is your chance to get your success publicized to the world.

Family businesses – tough through tough times.

By | February 9, 2009 | Offline Marketing | No comments

Lately, many of the stories in the local and national newspapers have been talking about how small businesses are struggling to make ends meet, pay bills, keep employees, and ultimately survive.   A recent story in the New York Times, written by Jane Birnbaum and read here, highlights several family owned businesses and what they are doing to pull together and make it through.  One of the key themes throughout the piece is to not only stay resilient, but also rely on the advice and knowledge of those (including family members) who have struggled through tough times.  The overall message is that there is no greater tool than experience, and that any knowledge that you can use in today’s economic climate should be considered.  mom-pop-image

But also this story gives some hope to small businesses everywhere, because it highlights how times have been tough before, and small businesses have hunkered down, trimmed where they needed to, and came out on the other side intact. Read more…

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