Archive for April, 2010

How To Organize Your Online Local Business Listings For Maximum Profit

By | April 29, 2010 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

local searchLocal search listings can be a boon for your small business.  Customers that go online to find local providers of goods and services can immediately find your website, if you’re using local listings to your advantage.  Here are a few tips on how to ensure that your local business listings can bring in customers and revenue for you.

Be Consistent

Consistency is crucial when identifying your company name in your online local business listings. For example, if you’re Doing Business As (DBA) “The Great California Spa” you should always be listed under that name. Just “California Spa” or “The Great Spa” isn’t consistent enough. Read more…

Teamwork Works

By | April 28, 2010 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

teamworkThis guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Experts series, and is written by Bob Prentice, founder of www.mrattitudespeaks.com

Getting things accomplished as a team is so much more rewarding than working all by your self and struggling. Our family has worked on several projects over the years. Since we worked as a team we often experienced great success.

I’d like to share with you one thing that sticks out in my mind as an example of teamwork for our family. I am thinking back to a time almost 15 years ago when we sold everything we owned, packed everything remaining into a 1948 Greyhound bus we converted into a RV and set off to live an adventure of traveling all over the United States together as a family. Just getting ready for our great adventure required a tremendous amount of teamwork, with the moving sale, packing, converting the bus, etc. Read more…

Major Error – Site Under Construction

By | April 27, 2010 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

site under constructionThis guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Experts series, and is written by Cathlyn Driscoll, co-founder of Best Business Mastery in New Jersey.

More times than I care to tell you I’ve gone to a website only to see the dreaded words: “Site Under Construction.”

Ugh.  I cannot tell you how disappointed I am when I see that.

You see, it’s all about expectations. People hand me a business card, or flyer, or brochure and everything looks highly polished and professional. Read more…

Small Biz Can Compete With “The Big Boys”

By | April 23, 2010 | Micro Business Issues | 4 Comments

Small business has often been mentioned as the “little guy.” The one who has to compete with giant retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, and others that are based locally.  They have the marketing budget and the advertising dollars to drive the smaller competition out of business.  Some small businesses have managed to compete with the Wal-Mart’s of the world, and one has even rebuffed offers to sell products through the mega chain.

david vs. goliathThe truth is, small businesses everywhere are finding ways to compete with bigger competition and in some cases are winning the battle.  How they are winning is what tells a compelling story.  While none of it is rocket science, the cumulative effects of these efforts mean better relationships with customers and the area they serve, loyalty, and more business.

One such case was highlighted in a recent case study in the New York Times.  Pamela Ryckman writes about how a local Kansas City dry cleaning business, Hangers, is competing with a Tide dry cleaning chain that moved into town. An excerpt from the story shows how different thinking can give you a competitive advantage and put you on top: Read more…

Outsourcing: An Untapped Option

By | April 22, 2010 | Micro Business Issues | 1 Comment

Fortune 500 companies have utilized outsourcing services for many years.  This has helped them to lower costs and also to become more flexible, and to address business and/or market needs in a timely manner.

Small businesses are already flexible and can move with speed.  What they don’t have is access to technology, financial resources and economies of scale that larger companies take for granted.  In addition, small business owners can easily become consumed with day to day operations and are therefore left without the time to build the business. Read more…

Safety First, Even in Small Business

By | April 21, 2010 | Micro Business Issues, Small Business Experts | No comments

safetyWhether you are starting a small business or in the midst of managing it, you have a lot to think about. Business plans. Financing issues. Marketing strategies. Potential employee hiring. The list can be endless.  While you are faced with many decisions and areas to think about, safety for your building, employees, products, tools and yourself should not be overlooked.  Protecting your most valuable assets is essential to small business success. Read more…

Why Strategic Alliances Are a Great Way to Make Money Online

By | April 19, 2010 | Small Business Experts | No comments

alliancesIf you’re looking for a new way to boost your revenues, consider entering into strategic alliances with other businesses that target your market.

Businesses join forces and form strategic alliances all the time. Ever enjoyed a cup of Starbucks coffee inside a Barnes & Noble bookstore? Or bought a MacDonald’s hamburger at Walmart?

Anyone can boost their profits by teaming up with a company that sells complementary products to the same market as they do. For example, someone selling a dog grooming ebook online could also recommend and sell a brand of dog grooming products and a brand of dog clothing, while those companies sell the ebook on their websites. Read more…

Online Business Services One Click Away

By | April 16, 2010 | Perspectives | No comments

the internetThis guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Perspective series, and is written by Bianca Hidalgo, owner of All Things Written.

Have you ever stopped to think about the range of stuff you have access to with the click of a mouse?

From a mail order bride (or husband) to astronaut space suits and tiki bars. You can even order the wedding chapel to marry your mail order spouse in, complete with a 10 x 18 wood roof (Amazon.com).

Last month, Black Enterprise magazine posed this question to small business owners: How do you use technology to grow your business?

Your first response, like my own, may be simple and common answers for most small business owners – internet services, company website, and social media. But reflect further, and you’ll no doubt discover how technology has had a huge role in the growth of your own small business. Read more…

Email Marketing Secrets

By | April 15, 2010 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

secretsEmail marketing is a growing and effective means for small businesses to get offers and information to their clients.  But as more and more people continue to utilize the medium, businesses will have to be more targeted and strategic when it comes to email marketing and create their own secret tricks.  With so many potentially reaching a customer’s inbox, you need to do everything you can to ensure you’re targeting the right audience and at the right time. Read more…

Tending to the Garden of Your Business

By | April 14, 2010 | Micro Business Issues | 3 Comments

GardenThis is the first of a two-part article focused on ways small businesses can “tend” to their business in 2010 and beyond, and is written by Caprice de Lorm, owner of de Lorm Designs in Orange County, CA.

I am a novice gardener. I like to plant flowers that attract the beneficial insects, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other birds to my yard and to the neighborhood. I also plant herbs, vegetables, and fruit. I enjoy the process of planting, tending, and harvesting and the opportunity gardening brings to work with the land and the seasons. Read more…

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