Archive for March, 2012

MBR: Budget Tips for Opening an Office, Public Speaking 101 and How to Hire Like Google

By | March 30, 2012 | Micro Business Roundup | No comments
MBR: Budget Tips for Opening an Office, Public Speaking 101 and How to Hire Like Google

This week’s Micro Business Roundup features five articles we think are worth reading this week. A few on the list: How to budget for opening your first office, what every entrepreneur should know about speaking in public, and how to score top talent like Google.

3 Budgeting Tips for Opening Up Your First Office — Are you thinking about opening up your first office? It’s a big step…and one that can be fiscally daunting. This OPEN Forum article has three bits of practical advice that can help with your new-office budget.

7 Tips for Working From Home With Kids — If you’re an entrepreneur who works from home, and has kids who are also home all day, you know how difficult it can be tough to simultaneously juggle childcare and everything that comes with running a business. This article provides seven tips for making working from home with children, well, work for you!

With Passage of JOBS Act, Steve Case, AngelList Founder And Others Look Forward To A Less-Regulated Start-Up World — This Washington Post article details the Jumpstart Our Business Startup (JOBS) Act, and what it might mean for start-ups. Have you been following this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section.

What Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know About Public Speaking — Do you dread speaking in public? If the answer is YES, you might want to read this story from Entrepreneur, which highlights a number of super-useful tips for public speaking. Although, we think you might find it a valuable read even if you love speaking in public. Do you agree with the advice presented in the article? What’s one tip you have for speaking in front of people? Let us know in the comments section.

Hire Like Google: 5 Ways — Sure, you might not be as big as Google, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hire like you are. This Inc. article offers some great advice from Michael B. Junge, a career coach, author and recruiter for Google, on how to hire top talent, no matter your company’s size.

Image: Martin Cathrae

Advanced Small Business Marketing: Email Marketing

By | March 28, 2012 | Advanced Small Business Marketing | No comments


Learn how to acquire new customers and stay top-of-mind with current customers through effective and relevant email campaigns. This session looks at some current email trends, explores ways to generate email lists, examines email best practices, outlines key metrics and examines some email tools to help you get started with your email marketing efforts.

 

Three key takeaways:

  • Email marketing is all about delivering value to your subscribers. Providing relevant information and tailoring your message and offers to your audience, will help keep your email out of the junk folder
  • Email is a great way to introduce your story, creating a reason for prospects to consider you. For current customers, email can help you build loyalty and trust  by delivering content that informs, entertains or benefits the reader
  • Increase the chance that subscribers will open your email by creating compelling subject lines that inform, create a need or intrigue the reader

Advanced Small Business Marketing: Marketing Planning

By | March 26, 2012 | Advanced Small Business Marketing | 1 Comment


Learn the steps you should take to effectively and efficiently plan your marketing activities.  See the planning process in action with examples based on real small business situations.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Assess the market and your customers before planning.
  2. Base decisions on clear and well-defined marketing goals.
  3. Carefully select marketing tactics: the least expensive form of marketing isn’t always the most cost effective.

MBR: Lessons from The Hunger Games, Why Construction Might Be the New “It” Industry and Seven Startup Mistakes to Avoid

By | March 23, 2012 | Micro Business Roundup | No comments

Construction MachineryThis week’s Micro Business Roundup brings you five articles we think you should take a few moments to read. This week: Four lessons you might be able to learn from The Hunger Games, why you might want to consider hiring an intern or four, seven startup mistakes to avoid, and more. Happy Friday!

Four Small-Business Lessons from ‘The Hunger Games’ —  Unless you reside under a rock — and didn’t bring your phone or computer with you — you’ve probably heard about the hugely popular books  The Hunger Games. The movie based on the books is out this week, and Entrepreneur took this opportunity to craft an article that details four lessons small businesses can garner from the trilogy.  You might be wondering how such a correlation can be made, but the books focus on survival, and rising above the competition — something most small businesses know a thing or two about. Our favorite tip: “Know your strengths…create a company in an area where you consider yourself ahead of the competition in experience and know-how — and you just might survive.”

Success Starts With a Question — This quick video is based on a simple thought: Success starts with a question. Watch as Christy Tanner, executive vice president and general manager of TV Guide Digital, talks about the importance of asking customers, users and advertisers key questions…and then acting on their answers.

Are You Wasting Your Interns? — Does your company have an internship program? If the answer is no, you might want to read this Inc. piece, which argues that one might be vital to continued growth. The article looks at one retailer, who found “an innovative way to staff, motivate, and retain employees while keeping costs down and positioning the company for future growth.”  This strategy included launching an internship program, building a strong culture around positivity and investing in training.

Hot Industry for Start-Ups: Construction? — According to this Wall Street Journal article, construction is the hottest growth area for new businesses, accounting for 24% of U.S. entrepreneurial activity in 2011. The piece attributes the rise to a few factors: “The increase comes as construction workers who lost their jobs during the slump in the housing market start their own businesses, taking advantage of a recent uptick in home remodeling and a modest boost in new home construction.”

Steven Startup Sins to Avoid — Have a startup? Here are seven mistakes to try and avoid, courtesy of CNET.

Image: Klearchos Kapoutsis

Expanding Your Facebook Presence

By | March 22, 2012 | Micro Business Tips Thursday | No comments

For this week’s edition of Micro Business Tips Thursday, we asked our Vistaprint Facebook community about, well, Facebook!  Specifically, we wondered what one piece of advice our Likers would offer other small business owners looking to expand their business on Facebook. As usual, we got a number of great responses (click here to see them all), but our top answer came from Victoria G. Redler, the owner of Daydream Massage Center in LaPlace, Louisiana. Her advice revolves around making an effort to engage with your customers.

“Make comments and keep in touch as much as possible, stay on their minds and so will ur business.”

Do you agree with Victoria? Is the key to expansion on Facebook (and beyond) talking with your customers, and staying top of mind? Tell us in the comments section!

Small Business Marketing 101: Getting on Facebook

By | March 21, 2012 | Small Business Marketing 101 | No comments


In this presentation, we walk you through the basic steps for getting your small business on Facebook and how you can leverage it for your business.

Small Business Marketing 101: Websites & Internet Marketing

By | March 19, 2012 | Small Business Marketing 101 | 1 Comment


All businesses need to have an online presence because your customers are looking for you.  In all channels businesses need to create an authentic, professional, and consistent; as you never know where customers will find your business and where you will need to make that first impression.  While building an online presence companies should continue to focus on the local marketplace, and use tools like Vistaprint’s Online Guide to get their business established.  In order to get found businesses should use SEO and social media to promote their business.  And as businesses become more sophisticated, tactics such as email marketing and daily deals will help to grow the business.

3 Key Takeaways:

  • All small businesses in every industry need to establish an online presence for their company
  • Once established, use SEO and social media techniques to drive traffic both online and in-store
  • Generate revenue by deploying email marketing and daily deal promotions, measuring success with ROI

MBR: Cash mobs provide boost to small businesses

By | March 16, 2012 | Micro Business Roundup | No comments

Every Friday, we highlight five articles we think you’ll find interesting. This week’s Micro Business Roundup features tips on “cash mobs” and how they are impacting small businesses, as well as a look at how rising fuel costs are hitting small business owners in the pocket.

Cash mobs’ descend on small businesses – This is a new phenomenon in various cities across the country.  Put simply, organized groups are flocking to small businesses to spend money to support the local economy and create a greater sense of community. Modeled after “flash mobs” which became popular with everything from dance routines to protests, this group is focused on spending and raising awareness for small businesses.

 

Small business legislation hits snag in the Senate: Despite everyone in America touting the fact that small businesses will help pull the country out of the current economic malaise, legislation designed to help small business owners get financing seems to have hit a snag, according to Businessweek.

Rising fuel costs are burning small businesses: According to a recent study conducted by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, 72% of small businesses are feeling pain because of high gas prices.  Small businesses are cutting employee hours or raising prices to keep up with the affects of rising gasoline costs as well.

Small business owners have no clue how to retire: As we’ve written about in the past with regard to micro businesses and retirement, a recent survey has found that the majority of small business owners are “clueless” about retirement.  The “Small Business Owners are Unprepared for Retirement” survey from the American College found that in addition to not having pensions or 401(k) plans, an additional one-third of small business owners have failed to estimate how much it will actually cost them to retire.

How to take a vacation from your small business: A recent story in the San Francisco Chronicle takes a closer look at how small businesses can and should take a break from their business while ensuring that it still continues to operate at a high level.  Having a well built infrastructure as well as outsourcing can be ways in which a small business can take a step back and enjoy life outside the business.

When was the last time you took a vacation? Are you taking one this year?

Small Business, Big Break

By | March 15, 2012 | Micro Business Tips Thursday | 2 Comments

Four leaf clover desktop

In honor of Saint Patrick’s Day, this week’s Tips Thursday had us wondering about luck. Specifically, we were wondering what lucky break did those on our Facebook community get to start their businesses. As usual, we received a number of great responses (click here to see them all), but we had to pick just one to feature.

Our winning answer comes from Michelle Lyn Woolery Hanavan, who talked about something that can be crucial when deciding whether or not to start a business: consumer demand.  “I am a photographer, and people were OFFERING to pay me for sessions; so I jumped in and decided to just finally go for it. It’s been great ever since!” Michelle runs Michelle Hanavan Photography in Hamilton, Ohio.

Do you have a similar story? Did customer demand push you to create a new business? Tell us in the comments section!

Image: billaday

Small Business Marketing 101: Telling Your Business’ Story

By | March 14, 2012 | Small Business Marketing 101 | 2 Comments


In this video presentation, Vistaprint Creative Director Liam Shannon talks about the importance of telling your business’ story and how it can help you stand out against the competition.

Page 1 of 212