Small Business

• Most Topular Stories

• Win $10,000 to Upgrade Your Business

  Small Biz Daily

  Karen Axelton

  22 May 2013 | 12:01 pm

  Could you use $10,000 to improve your retail business? Point-of-sale system provider Harbortouch is offering a $10,000 prize  to the retailer who submits the best video on how the prize money would help his or her business grow. “The economy is improving but a lot of merchants are still struggling,” says Nate Hirshberg, Harbortouch marketing manager. “This is what we came up with to help out with some extra capital.” The Harbortouch Business Upgrade Contest begins today. To enter, simply post a video on YouTube explaining why your company needs an upgrade (be creative!). Then…

• A 3-Step Customer Service Guide for Your Team

  Inc.com

  Michael Alter

  23 May 2013 | 10:31 am

  What you can do about that moment of truth, when a customer decides to stay or go.When was the last time you sat on the phone with a customer service rep or stood in the middle of a store, hoping someone would help you out, knowing full well if no one responded gracefully, you'd be done with that company--for good? I call that the moment of truth--the point in time when a company keeps or loses you as a customer.As a business owner, the way you understand and handle moments like these will often determine your company's likelihood of success and even growth rate.Undoubtedly, you can expect…

• 6 Ways to Track Your Competition's Marketing Strategy

  Entrepreneur

  23 May 2013 | 9:30 am

  Staying on top of your competitor's marketing tactics is key if you want to be ahead of the game. But you don't need a big budget to do it. Here are six easy ways to stay in the know.

• Changes to the SBA Contract Rule for Women-Owned Small Businesses

  NASE Staff Blog

  10 May 2013 | 1:04 pm

  The Small Business Administration recently announced that they are amending regulations to allow greater access to federal contracting opportunities for women-owned businesses.  This signals the commitment by the SBA to continue to advocate and support woman business owners.  Previously, Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses had a limit to the contracts they could receive.  With the rule change, the contracts can be at any dollar amount.  This will not only help federal agencies reach their goal of five percent of…

• 6 Ways To Commit Innovation Suicide

  Innovation Management

  Gijs van Wulfen

  22 May 2013 | 10:43 pm

  When starting innovation, a lot of the same mistakes are made over and over again. Here is how you can recognize and avoid them.

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  Verizon Small Biz Blog articles

• Introducing J2Solutions; A Philadelphia Area Business

  VZSmallBiz

  17 May 2013 | 9:43 am

  We are so please to have connected with Vijay Khatnani recently who shared information about his business, offered tips to other business owners as well as how his company depends on FiOS services.        

• Celebrating Small Businesses In Philly May 13-17

  VZSmallBiz

  15 May 2013 | 12:12 pm

  Small businesses are the backbone of our country, and Verizon is joining with the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce  to present the region’s inaugural Small Business Week May 13-17.  Over these five days, we will be celebrating and recognizing the critical contributions of the region’s more than 150,000 small businesses.   Small Business Week in Philadelphia will feature a series of events allowing small business owners to gain insights to better run their business and opportunities to network.  While most of the activities will take place in or near…

• The Payments Landscape: Credit Card Payments 2013 and Beyond– A Must Read for Your Business!

  VZSmallBiz

  1 May 2013 | 8:39 am

  Guest post by Chase Paymentech, providing thousands of Verizon customers’ best-in-class debit and credit card processing through Verizon Merchant Services.   The global payments landscape is constantly evolving and so is the way your customers pay for their purchases. Technologically savvy and constantly on the go, today’s consumer is more likely to tap and go than to swipe and sign. So what does this mean to the long-standing card-present and card-not-present concepts we have always used as our dominant payment differentiator? A lot!

• Money Rules for Small Business Success

  VZSmallBiz

  17 Apr 2013 | 1:39 pm

  Guest post by Jean Chatzky, a nationally known personal finance expert, author and frequent guest on The View, Morning Joe and The Oprah Winfrey Show.  In the latest free webinar presented by Verizon Small Business, Ms. Chatzky shared tips for small business owners to find the right financial balance.     Small Business Owners are among the most optimistic people on the planet – I think you have to be to do what you do. But according to recent research, you aren’t feeling particularly great right now. In March, the National Federation of Small Business Index of…

• Easy Access To Your Verizon Small Biz Rewards

  VZSmallBiz

  27 Mar 2013 | 2:51 pm

  Consistently, we strive to improve your experience when you are on verizon.com/smallbusiness.  We want to make you happy and we want to ensure it’s a breeze for you to access your account information so you can focus on running your business.    We are so pleased to announce that now when you log into My Business Account you can view your Verizon Small Biz Rewards information. Now you can login from either site using your My Business Account user ID and password to review your points balance, redeem your points for rewards and more.  You can also navigate between the…

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  Entrepreneur

• Still Waiting for Obama's SBA Chief Nominee

  23 May 2013 | 1:06 pm

  The White House has yet to select a replacement for Karen Mills, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

• 4 Lessons From the Nightmarish Amy's Baking Company

  23 May 2013 | 11:00 am

  Think the customer is always wrong? Here are a few lessons in entrepreneurship from the latest Kitchen Nightmares' season finale.

• NHL Playoffs: Lessons in Building a Winning Sales Team

  23 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  Like a successful hockey team, empower your employees and play to their strengths.

• 6 Ways to Track Your Competition's Marketing Strategy

  23 May 2013 | 9:30 am

  Staying on top of your competitor's marketing tactics is key if you want to be ahead of the game. But you don't need a big budget to do it. Here are six easy ways to stay in the know.

• Startup Weekend and Startup America Partner to Jumpstart Global Entrepreneurship

  23 May 2013 | 8:55 am

  With the support of AOL Co-Founder Steve Case, new organization UP Global aims to accelerate startup communities around the world.

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  Fast Company

• Can This Sleek Lighter Challenge The Zippo?

  Sammy Medina

  23 May 2013 | 2:30 pm

  Alessi’s new Sushi lighter is at home both in your pocket and your kitchen. Design is a search to perfectly integrate form, function, and meaning. A single design can take years of iterations and refinements and still may never embody that ideal. But if it becomes iconic--think the Coca-Cola bottle or, for our purposes, the Zippo pocket lighter--it ceases to be in flux and moves beyond time and style. But, and sooner or later, change needs to be introduced--either directly injected into the design itself, or at the very least, by admitting alternative forms into the cycle. As every…

• Summer Heat Is Going To Make New York Deadly

  Zak Stone

  23 May 2013 | 12:00 pm

  The amount of people dying from heat-related deaths in the city is going to rise rapidly thanks to climate change. Summer heat waves can transform East Coast cities likes New York and Washington, DC, into humid, odiferous swamps of misery and stagnation. But with climate change conspiring toward increasingly hotter summers, New York and other towns won’t just be more unpleasant; they’ll be deadlier. As The Guardian reported:Read Full Story    

• Gorgeously Complex 3-D Printed Sculptures You Can Eat

  Sammy Medina

  23 May 2013 | 12:00 pm

  The Sugar Lab makes geometric confections, fittingly, from sugar. Much has been made about the game-changing uses and applications for 3-D printing. The technology has made headway in every field you can think of--from prosthetics and bionic organs to design and architecture to, yes, functioning firearms. There have also been plenty of printing experiments with food, an idea not everyone finds so appealing. Printers can be modified to print both cooked and raw foods, whose shape can even be customized. It was just announced that NASA is investing in 3-D printer food prototypes that use…

• The Fifty Shades Factor: Amazon Gives Fanfic Authors A Shot At A Publishing Payday With Kindle Worlds

  Chris Baker

  23 May 2013 | 11:48 am

  Recognizing that the world of fan fiction has produced a bona fide blockbuster, Amazon is now turning fanfic from a grey market to a sanctioned revenue opportunity with Kindle Worlds. The site FanFiction.net, one of the larger outposts of amateur storytelling based on pop culture franchises, lists 25,000 separate contributions based on The Vampire Diaries alone. All of those works were created out of sheer love for the characters and premises of the books. Since fan fiction is not offered for sale, the copyright holders behind Diaries and many other works have turned a blind eye. But…

• Is “I Wish My Son Had Cancer” Appropriate Ad Copy?

  Morgan Clendaniel

  23 May 2013 | 11:29 am

  An ad for a rare disease makes an uncomfortable statement.Read Full Story    

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  Escape From Cubicle Nation

• Announcing … Fantastic lineup of Spring classes from Power Teaching students

  ssanders

  20 May 2013 | 11:54 am

  In March/April, I ran another small session of my Power Teaching class. Another extremely smart and enthusiastic group joined in intensive study of effective training design and development, and worked on real, live classes that they are launching this Spring and Summer. I love teaching this class for three reasons: It is exceptionally energizing to share my passion for teaching with completely open and eager participants They really worked their hearts out to apply great design to their classes, ensuring a superior learning experience for their students They were extremely generous with each…

• Why writing your book doesn’t have to be scary

  Pamela Slim

  25 Apr 2013 | 10:42 am

  I am delighted to feature a guest post today from my friend and fellow coach, bestselling author Debbie Rieber. Debbie is in the business of helping people get the books in their heads written, sold, and out into the world. As someone who is writing a book now, I know that we authors need all the help we can get! In this post, she helps to disprove some of the myths that keep us stuck and afraid to write. Enjoy! Whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to strengthen your platform or someone with a body of research, a story, or a unique point of view you feel compelled to share, writing a book…

• It just got easier to book yourself solid

  Pamela Slim

  9 Apr 2013 | 9:58 am

  When I started my coaching practice, I felt extremely awkward when I talked with prospective clients. Asking for a sale felt like torture. And I was so excited about anyone at all hiring me for my services that I didn’t really consider whether they were a good fit or not. Thankfully, seven years ago I found  Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port, which gave me an extremely clear framework and tools for selling my services. One of the reasons why I liked the book so much is that Michael operates out of a personal value set of service and integrity. When I got to know him personally a…

• 10 Ways to Develop a Mastery Mindset

  Pamela Slim

  5 Apr 2013 | 4:17 pm

  In today’s world of hacks, shortcuts and instant money-making blueprints, I think we have lost appreciation for slow-brewing mastery in our work. Through the years, I have worked with many martial artists, cultural leaders and business mentors who have taught me that trying to finish first in a short race is not only stressful, it works against developing deep expertise. Here are ten ways to develop a mastery mindset: Learn patience My mother in law has taught me that Diné people (Navajos) have ceremonies for every part of life. There are baby’s first laugh ceremonies and puberty…

• Confession of an entrepreneurial optimist

  Pamela Slim

  15 Mar 2013 | 3:46 pm

  I am cruising into my 17th year in business. Seventeen years of creating things, connecting with people, figuring out what I want to do, what people need  and inviting them to pay me to help them get things done. It has been fun. Really, really fun. I remember when I first started blogging and everything was just so dang exciting. I didn’t know what I was doing, and had an ugly homegrown Typepad blog. Every day I would meet a new, cool person who would teach me something new. Rich Sloan from Startup Nation called me out of the blue one day to tell me he liked my writing and I think I…

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  Small Business Labs

• Coworks - A Social Online Talent Marketplace

  Steve

  23 May 2013 | 1:00 am

  Coworks is a new online talent marketplace with a twist. Instead of offering talent buyers a large number of potential hires like an Elance or oDesk does, it connects buyer and sellers of talent  based on personal connections and recommendations. According to the press release announcing the company, Coworks: "... provides freelancers and buyers with a unique online platform that takes the “word of mouth” practice, which has worked for so many years in the freelancing industry offline, and combines it with the power of online social media capabilities." The site…

• What is Quantum Computing?

  Steve

  22 May 2013 | 1:00 am

  The announcements that Google and Lockheed Martin have purchased quantum computers has led to a lot of recent coverage on the topic. Quantum computers are very, very fast. Instead of using the traditional approach of a string of 1's and 0's that are either turned on or off, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits. Qubits take advantage of the weird behavior of quantum mechanics which means they can essentially be both on and off at the same time.  This allows them to multitask and at least in some cases potentially run thousands of times faster than traditional…

• Using Twitter's Promoted Tweets

  Steve

  21 May 2013 | 1:00 am

  Promoted Tweets are basically paid ads for Tweets. They are described by Twitter as "ordinary Tweets purchased by advertisers who want to reach a wider group of users or to spark engagement from their existing followers." Promoted Tweets have been around for a couple of years, but Twitter limited the number of companies allowed to use them.  They recently changed this policy and now anyone can pay to their Tweets promoted.  Over the last month Small Business Labs has been experimenting with promoted tweets.  Here are our reactions: 1. Promoted…

• R.I.P Lotus 1-2-3

  Steve

  20 May 2013 | 1:00 am

  IBM recently announced that it's no longer selling Lotus 1-2-3.  Most readers of this blog likely have never heard of Lotus 1-2-3.  But more experienced readers (meaning old) will remember 1-2-3 as their first PC spreadsheet and the first "killer app" for the PC. Lotus Development Corporation released 1-2-3 in 1983 and it quickly became one of the most popular PC software products of its era.   Along with other now forgotten PC software companies like Word Perfect (word processing), Ashton-Tate (database) and Software Publishing (graphics), Lotus helped drive…

• Self-Employment Shifting to the Creative Class

  Steve

  16 May 2013 | 1:00 am

  Well known author and academic Richard Florida has written extensively about the rise of the creative class. According to his work, the creative class - a grouping of knowledge-based professions - has rapidly increased its share of total employment over the last 2 decades and now comprises about one third of all U.S. jobs. While the majority of creative class members have traditional jobs, a growing share of the self-employed are also members of the creative class. The chart below shows the percent of total self-employment for 2 of the 3 broad employment sectors. I left off the services…

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  Planning Startup Stories

• Millennials Schmillennials and Generation Generalizations

  Tim Berry

  23 May 2013 | 8:34 am

  Joel Stein opens his Time Magazine cover story on Millennials: I am about to do what old people have done throughout history: call those younger than me lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow. But I have studies! I have statistics! I have quotes from respected academics! Unlike my parents, my grandparents and my great-grandparents, I have proof. Ah yes, as he points out with tongue in cheek, there is proof: studies, statistics, and data.  If nothing else, the so-called millennials generation, and all the writing, thinking, analysis, and opinions about that generation, are proof that in…

• How to Calculate Hourly Cost of an Employee

  Tim Berry

  21 May 2013 | 9:21 am

  For the sake of occasional business analysis — such as calculating return on investment (ROI) on a project, hiring a new employee, allocating costs — here’s a simple formula for calculating the hourly cost of an employee: cost per hour = annual gross salary/1000 So the $75,000/year salary costs the company $75 per hour. The $30,000/year data entry person costs the company $30 per hour. This quick and practical calculation is based on the assumption that the overhead, including payroll taxes, health insurance, benefits, office space, office equipment, telephone, Internet,…

• Willamette Angel Conference Invests More than $450K

  Tim Berry

  10 May 2013 | 10:59 am

  Yesterday’s Willamette Angel Conference (WAC) 2013 event invested more than $465,000 in four Oregon startups, highlighted by more than $250,000 in Portland-based Sonivate, which has developed a fingertip-mounted ultrasound probe that enables imaging while leaving both hands free to do work with simultaneous tactile feedback.  Three other startups got WAC investment at the event: Amorphyx, a Corvallis company with innovative technology that reduces manufacturing costs and increasing the brightness, speed and efficiency of LCD and flexible displays; DesignMedix, a Portland company…

• Amazing Time-Lapse Videos of Earth Changing

  Tim Berry

  10 May 2013 | 10:10 am

  Watch from space as Las Vegas grows from 1984 to now. Or watch as a glacier shrinks, and the Amazon jungle recedes. Watch Dubai grow.  Time Magazine and Google have combined to create this Time Lapse site Earth Engine site, offering time-lapse photography of the earth changing from 1984 through 2012, using NASA technology and satellite pictures, plus Google’s Google Earth technology.  What you see is, well, take a look … this is a great use of technology, good for the organizations that put it up there, and good for it’s educational value. Well done. 

• The Growth is Always Greener in Your Neighbor’s Lawn

  Tim Berry

  7 May 2013 | 9:01 am

  Have you noticed this? Businesses that sell to small business want to sell to enterprises. Businesses that sell to enterprises want small business. I’ve seen it for 30 years now.  On the one hand, it’s good business. Expand. Go from where you are to where there’s more market waiting.  On the other hand, damn, I think there’s a DNA problem for most of us. I, for example, have always been comfortable with small business and startups. Companies I’ve started focused on small business and startups. And much as I’ve tried, repeatedly, I never really figured out…

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  Inc.com

• RedOwl Analytics: The Silent Whistleblower

  Jill Krasny

  23 May 2013 | 11:59 am

  Blending big data with intuitive software, Baltimore start-up RedOwl Analytics is one to watch.On Wall Street, pending lawsuits and insider trading are a recipe for PR disaster. Clients pack up to take their business and money elsewhere, and the legal fees start piling up. RedOwl Analytics, a Baltimore, Maryland-based start-up, hopes to minimize those risks by harnessing the power of big data. The start-up tracks workers' behavior on a near-constant basis, paying special attention to their digital trails on Gchat, Blackberry, and email. It's like a high tech whistleblower no one can hear. The…

• How Tinder Is Winning the Mobile Dating Wars

  Issie Lapowsky

  23 May 2013 | 11:30 am

  It's already one of the year's fastest growing apps. CEO Sean Rad reveals his grand plan to change the way people meet.At 27 years old, Sean Rad has already been a successful entrepreneur once. In 2009, he scored his first big hit when he founded ad.ly, which helps brands land celebrity endorsements on social media. Now he's on to his second act: Tinder, which has become the App Store's fast-growing mobile dating app. Rad claims that the app has led to 50 million matches and 10 marriages since it launched this fall.It's a simple concept: Unlike most online dating platforms, there are no…

• 3 Signs You're Too Busy to Be Brilliant

  Les McKeown

  23 May 2013 | 11:26 am

  "Fail fast, fail often" is popular and appealing. But it's not how you produce great work.The last five years have produced an increasingly fevered body of business-speak that has achieved almost cult-like status. Expressed variously as 'always be shipping', or 'fail fast', the people who promote this approach would have us believe that leadership--indeed, the very act of creation--is achieved by mere momentum alone.Just keep doing things, say these proponents--get stuff out the door--and success will be guaranteed. Grab ahold of an idea, turn it into a product or service, but above all, get…

• 5 Ways to Keep Your Eye On the Goal

  Eric V. Holtzclaw

  23 May 2013 | 11:10 am

  The most successful entrepreneurs do more than set goals. They keep those goals front and center--all the time.I'm goal oriented. Professionally I am happiest when I have a number to hit, a timeline to make, or a task to complete. Personally, I am at my best when I have a big trip or event in the not too distant future that I am working toward.That's true of a lot of the successful entrepreneurs I know. They're motivated by the prospect of hitting a goal, driving past it and looking for their next target. That means not just setting goals, but making sure they're constantly working to execute…

• A 3-Step Customer Service Guide for Your Team

  Michael Alter

  23 May 2013 | 10:31 am

  What you can do about that moment of truth, when a customer decides to stay or go.When was the last time you sat on the phone with a customer service rep or stood in the middle of a store, hoping someone would help you out, knowing full well if no one responded gracefully, you'd be done with that company--for good? I call that the moment of truth--the point in time when a company keeps or loses you as a customer.As a business owner, the way you understand and handle moments like these will often determine your company's likelihood of success and even growth rate.Undoubtedly, you can expect…

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  NYT > Small Business

• You're the Boss Blog: Figuring Out How to Help Small-Business Owners

  By PAUL DOWNS

  23 May 2013 | 11:00 am

  Consult Your Community has very grand goals. It wants to address income inequality and help rebuild the American economy, and it plans to do this by deploying business students to provide free consulting to local businesses.    

• You're the Boss Blog: What It Takes to Start a Company: Sleeping in a Van?

  By GENE MARKS

  23 May 2013 | 7:54 am

  A Priceline for movie tickets goes looking for partners.    

• You're the Boss Blog: How We Train Employees to Analyze the Business

  By BRYAN BURKHART

  23 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  Most important, when giving feedback: be direct.    

• Hidden in Plain Sight, Tiny Mall Kiosks Make a Surprisingly Big Impact

  By JOHN GROSSMANN

  22 May 2013 | 8:30 am

  A lot has changed since the 4-foot-by-8-foot carts with wagon wheels debuted 40 years ago. Most notably, they contribute to an estimated $8 billion in annual mall sales.    

• You're the Boss Blog: Why Alternative Lenders Should Set Some Standards

  By AMI KASSAR

  22 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  The annual percentage rate on a merchant-cash-advance loan can be as high as 60 or even 100 percent — enough to make most rational business people shake in their boots.    

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  Copyblogger

• 30 Quick Editing Tips Every Content Creator Needs to Know

  Stefanie Flaxman

  23 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  Inbox 0: in a bad way. Has your brilliant content still not scored you that dream writing position, lucrative business partnership, or sweet recognition among your peers and target audience? If you think your articles are top-notch, but there’s a lonely tumbleweed blowing through your barren website, it may be because you’re just a writer. You heard me, Gloria. If everybody wants you, why isn’t anybody calling? Once you create a blog or email newsletter, you need to also actively take part in its evolution. While keeping diligent focus on your content production, you must also review…

• How to Nail the Opening of Your Blog Post

  Demian Farnworth

  22 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  The opening four notes to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony are the most popular notes in Western music. Dun dun dun dum … They are stormy. Heroic. Disorienting. Short enough to be remembered. Portentous enough to be memorable. Today you’ll find those notes everywhere. In movies, commercials, and songs when the dramatic and foreboding are needed … And we hardly bat an eye. We recognize them, we know them, and we love those first four notes. Not so for Beethoven’s opening night at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1808. One contemporary composer of Beethoven —…

• 5 Things Every Copywriter Needs to Know About Their Prospects

  Amy Harrison

  21 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  What do you really know about your prospect? Their age range perhaps? Where they live? What they do for a living? Useful definitely, but not enough to create copy that rouses emotion and compels action. For that we need to take a journey much deeper into the dark recesses of our customers’ minds … Want to join me? Today’s article is inspired by someone who understood that in writing, how well you knew your ‘characters’ made the difference between captivating an audience, or boring them. In 1946 The Art of Dramatic Writing, (now regarded as one of the best works…

• 14 Free Ebooks and an Updated 20-Part Internet Marketing Course

  Brian Clark

  20 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  Can’t see the video? Click here. Free Registration About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media. Get more from Brian on Google+. Related StoriesWhy We Still Need to Write, Even When We’re Scared5 Ways to Bond with Your Blog’s Audience11 Compound Word Errors that Might Make You Look like a Numbskull

• 5 Writing and Productivity Links You Can Use

  Robert Bruce

  18 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  This week on The Lede … How A Copywriter Evaluates A Great Website The Unexpected Antidote to Procrastination The Daily Rituals of the World’s Most Creative People 4 Things That Lead to Success (or Failure) with Email Signup Forms How to Do More By Planning Less: The Power of the Anti-Plan Want to grab even more useful links (beyond those that make The Lede)? Follow @copyblogger on Twitter. // The Unexpected Antidote to Procrastination Procrastination: that merciless thief of our time, creative output, and potential reward. Mr. Bergman delivers a unique — but convincing…

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  crowdSPRING Blog

• Create Your Own Future

  Ross

  23 May 2013 | 6:20 am

  Some people are stuck in the present and unable to move forward. Use the future to escape the present. Decide where you’d rather be. Related posts: Building A Brand People Love: Create Real Value

• Small Business Branding: What You Can Learn From The World’s Best Brands

  Ross

  22 May 2013 | 9:28 am

    The 2013 Brandz Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands report was just released. The report offers important lessons for startups and small business. Apple is once again listed as the most valuable global brand, with Google, IBM, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola rounding out the top five. We’ve previously written about important lessons small businesses and startups can learn from the world’s best Brands. If you want to review our prior posts, read What Small Businesses Can Learn From The World’s Best Brands, Branding Secrets of the World’s Best Brands, and What Can…

• This Is Why Social Media Doesn’t Work For Your Business

  Ross

  21 May 2013 | 8:11 am

  If you have invested considerable time and resources on social media marketing over the past year and feel frustrated, you are not alone. About 61% of small businesses don’t see any return on investment on their social-media activities … Yet, almost 50% say they’ve increased their time spent on social media, and only 7% have decreased their time. The above conclusions are from a survey released by Manta, a social network for small businesses. It’s not surprising that many businesses fail to properly leverage social media. After all, the success of any marketing…

• Small Business and Social Marketing: Time for an Audit?

  Mike

  19 May 2013 | 11:05 pm

  Marketing is simple: spend $100 advertising your product or service and earn back $110 for your efforts. This has long been the underlying challenge for businesses large and small:  how do you acquire new customers, convince them to buy more of whatever it is you are selling, get them to tell other’s about your offering, and achieve positive ROI the whole while. Problem is, for many companies, this kind of magical thinking is simply not grounded in any type of reality. Especially for small business, traditional print, radio, and television advertising is out of their reach financially.

• Twitter Link Roundup #179 – Small Business, Startups, Innovation, Social Media, Design, Marketing and More

  Ross

  17 May 2013 | 7:37 am

  Every day on the crowdSPRING Twitter account and on my own Twitter account, I post links to posts or videos I enjoyed reading or viewing. These posts and videos are about logo design, web design, startups, entrepreneurship, small business, leadership, social media, marketing, and more! Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week! The above is a fun video of a gas station prank that shows some people have a great, happy attitude – and it’s contagious. Small Business and Startups: Prepare For the Worst – http://crowdspring.co/10DZYvs The First Step,…

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  The Franchise King

• There’s A Rebel Mouse In The House

  The Franchise King®

  22 May 2013 | 1:39 pm

  It wasn’t a question of if. It was a question of when. That’s because it involved the Berry’s.   Tim Berry I’ve yet to meet the founder of Palo Alto Software. Yet. We’re both members of this Brain Trust. We have numerous mutual friends. We both write for SBA.Gov. We have similar philosophies. Tim Berry (the founder) and I have been interacting online and via phone for a few years now. I love the guy. He’s good people. He’s smart. He’s loyal. And, he’s very supportive of my mission. This one: “I’m focused on making franchising more transparent by…

• Learn How To Become A Franchise Fact Gathering Machine

  The Franchise King®

  20 May 2013 | 6:42 am

  I’m going to teach you how. So, franchise success can be yours. Keep reading.   Be Like A Machine Machines don’t have emotions. I don’t want you to either. Yet. I just want you to get the facts you need on the franchise (s) you’re looking into. So that when it comes time to make a decision on whether or not to buy that franchise-you’ll be able to do so with confidence. And, confidence can go a long way towards becoming a successful franchise owner. That’s what you want, right?   Free Franchise Research Tips On Wednesday, May 22nd, I’m holding a Free Webinar.  …

• For Women Only

  The Franchise King®

  16 May 2013 | 8:12 am

  (Wholesome Tummies Franchise Owners)   Sorry, guys. This one’s not for you.   (He’ll get over it.)   American Express Report According to a report commissioned by American Express Open, only 20.5 percent of franchise businesses are owned by women. Personally, I’d like to see that number rise. Today’s women have a plethora of resources available to them to help them learn about and investigate business opportunities-including franchise ownership options. And, if they become small business owners, they can check out some of the newer resources like Leanin.org,…

• Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities in College

  The Franchise King®

  13 May 2013 | 2:23 am

  (This is a Sponsored Post) Today’s college graduates don’t have it very easy. Years ago, graduating from college meant you were nearly guaranteed employment and some level of job security. That piece of paper automatically gave you an advantage that many of your peers did not have. But, times have changed and created a much different post-college experience for young people. Some of them are experiencing a perfect storm: Massive amounts of student loan debt Limited employment opportunities and intense competition for those few positions New corporate cultures that don’t reward longevity…

• You Are One Click Away From Choking The Life Out Of A Local Small Business

  The Franchise King®

  8 May 2013 | 2:24 pm

  That’s right; one-click of your mouse. One tap of your Smartphone…that’s all it’s going to take. But you already know that.   Do You Buy Local? My friend, Chris Brogan, consistently pisses me off. That’s because he’s always writing thought-provoking posts, and I’m not always in the mood to think. Thanks, Chris. Here’s a snippet from a post he wrote on local small business: “I went into a running store to pick up a windbreaker kind of thingy because evidently wearing a spring jacket means I will sweat like a prisoner. The guy who runs the shop remembered selling me my…

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  800 CEO Read

• Hidden in Plain Sight

  Sally

  23 May 2013 | 12:16 pm

  Tweet It must be a lot of pressure to live up to the billing of “James Bond of design research” and the “Indiana Jones of technology for the developing world.” I mean, what do you wear? A tux with a dusty brimmed hat? Action adventure movie references aside, Chipchase takes us on a rollicking global adventure in his new book, Hidden in Plain Sight: How to Create Extraordinary Products for Tomorrow’s Customers, which hit the bookshelves in April. Design research, Chipchase explains in his first chapter, “Crossing State (of Mind) Lines,” concerns itself…

• Ctrl Alt Delete

  Jon

  22 May 2013 | 7:59 am

  TweetThere’s a certain urgency to the new book by Mitch Joel, Ctrl Alt Delete: Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It. Its sentiment has also been expressed by authors such as Gary Vaynerchuk: Business is changing and if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left behind. And that’s putting it nicely. What Joel is saying is that if we don’t change, our companies will go out of business, and we ourselves will become unemployable. Scary stuff, yes, but the good news is the book has the answers to avoid these problems. Both Joel (and authors like…

• KnowledgeBlocks Giveaway: The One Thing

  Sally

  21 May 2013 | 7:25 am

  Tweet If I were to ask my husband to make a “to-do” list of the things he wants to get done over the weekend, the list would top out at around 20 items. On it would be anything from cleaning out the garage and going to the bank…to moving our garden to the east side of the yard and building a new set of stairs. Over the 16 years we’ve been married, I’ve been a witness to his inability to whittle that list down to something manageable many times, and the inevitable result that he gets none of those 20 things done because he is overwhelmed and distracted. He wants…

• Reinventing You

  Michael

  20 May 2013 | 10:39 am

  Tweet“What do people think of you? What do they say when you leave the room?” Maybe you don’t think you have a brand. Hopefully you don’t think that. As Dorie Clark demonstrates in her new book, Reinventing You, taking control of your professional future hinges on your acceptance and understanding of your current brand, and your ability to take control of where that brand is going. OK—we can call it a reputation, if that makes you feel better. As Clark points out early on, we simply can’t afford to disregard the impact that our personal brand has on our success. The idea that you…

• Friday Links

  dylan

  17 May 2013 | 12:38 pm

  TweetFor your weekend perusal, here is another installment of Friday Links ➻ Calvin Ried’s coverage of the BISG’s MIP (The Book Industry Study Group’s Making Information Pay Conference) 2013: A New World of Big Data, Complexity and Collaboration for Publishers Weekly yesterday was a treasure of interesting insights: BISG executive director Len Vlahos gave an overview of “The Digital Consumer” using data from its “Consumer Attitudes Towards E-book Reading Survey,” in particular looking at the behavior of “Power Buyers” or consumers who buy at least one e-book a…

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  Small Business Technology

• WordPress vs. Joomla: Which Is The Best System For Your Business

  Miguel Leiva-Gomez

  20 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  Planning on creating a site for your business? Considering the up-front cost of hiring developers to make a site for you, content management system (CMS) platforms have risen to the rescue to fill the gap. Two of the most well-known free CMS products available are WordPress and Joomla. Both of them provide very powerful features that small businesses can use, but only one of them is appropriate for you. Today, let’s put these two content management systems head-to-head and determine which one remains the victor for your particular situation! It’s WordPress vs. Joomla! WordPress…

• Best Practices for Social Media Promotions: Get More Followers, Engagement, and Sales

  Vincenzo Ravina

  20 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  Social media promotions are one surefire way to get your followers up on Twitter or boost those likes on Facebook. You can boost engagement and get your brand out there. If you’re offering something good (Apple products like iPads are a very popular social media giveaway), you can see huge numbers of people getting involved. But it has to be done right to get you the engagement you want. Anyone who wants an iPad will “like” or retweet something for the chance to win, but many won’t bother to find out anything about your business, if it’s that easy to get involved…

• 10 Awesome Email Management Tools

  Young Entrepreneur Council

  20 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  What’s your favorite email management tool and why? The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons. 1. Constant Contact I use Constant Contact to manage my email lists and communications. The tool makes sending smart, custom-designed emails…

• 12 Mobile Security Tips All Small Businesses Must Be Aware Of

  Miguel Leiva-Gomez

  17 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  While you’re probably worried about the future and are constantly trying to make your business a more customer-friendly environment, there are a couple of things you need to know about mobile devices. Smartphones and tablets have been penetrating the workplace for a while already. They’ve made conducting business a very simple process while, at the same time, ensuring that employees can attend to work practically anywhere in the world. It’s been quite a blast to have these things around. However, there’s a flip-side to mobile penetration. Your business’ security…

• NYC Event: Get Prospective Customers To Say ‘WOW’ and Close More Sales!

  Carolyn Crummey

  17 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  What you offer is amazing, but too often prospective customers just don’t“get it”! They don’t buy or they aren’t willing to pay what you know your product or service is worth. If you suffer from this problem, then you won’t want to miss our upcoming NYC Event, ‘Get Prospective Customers To Say ‘WOW’ and Close More Sales!‘ In this seminar, we’ll show you how to overcome this problem so your customers ‘get it’ and you begin to close more sales!   Get More Customers To Say ‘WOW’ and Close More Sales!   May 30, 2013…

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  Small Business Trends

• NFIB Celebrating 70 Years Advocating for Small Businesses

  Joshua Sophy

  23 May 2013 | 1:30 pm

  The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) is celebrating a milestone this year, marking 70 years of advocating for small business owners. While the nature of its job has changed somewhat in those 70 years, NFIB continues to advocate for small business owners nationwide. “Seventy years ago, the National Federation of Independent Business began its mission to protect the right to own, operate and grow a business,” NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner said in a recent statement. “Since then, NFIB has garnered more members — and earned more credibility —…

• 5 Technological Breakthoughs Your Website Redesign Must Have

  David Langton

  23 May 2013 | 11:00 am

  Advancement in design and programming technology makes for a perfect storm: Now is the best time to redo your website. Technology breakthroughs are constant, but design breakthroughs – what’s that all about? Comedian Louis CK does a bit about how your stomach takes 20 minutes to tell your head that it’s full. He says you can stub your toe and your head knows right away how much it hurts, but why does it take 20 minutes for your stomach to communicate? Well, embracing and using new technology to its fullest is a bit like communicating with your stomach: It takes time. It’s been 23…

• HP Tablet Costs Less Than iPad And Includes A Keyboard

  Joshua Sophy

  23 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  [Slatebook X2] Hewlett-Packard is introducing a new HP Android tablet hybrid, the SlateBook x2, that’s aiming to rival the popular iPad. HP is pricing its entry into the hybrid tablet market at $20 less than the cost of iPad. But the SlateBook x2 also comes standard with a keyboard. The HP Android tablet features a 10.2-inch screen. There is one USB port, an HDMI port, and an SD card slot, according to an early review from LaptopMag.com. Striking While the Iron is Hot? The introduction of the SlateBook x2 comes during recent good times at HP. After suffering internal struggles and…

• Are Your B2B Proposals Working For You?

  Jennifer Shaheen

  23 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  There are people who will tell you that you should never, ever write business proposals. Proposals take a lot of time, the argument goes. There’s a lot of work involved. The very act of putting together strong business proposals draws heavily on your expertise and insight. You’re making an investment when you create a proposal – and if the client doesn’t close the deal with you, it’s an investment that returns nothing. There are people who agree with the never write a proposal position, who are simultaneously very aware that in order for their business to function on a daily basis,…

• Small Businesses Dodged a Bullet on E-Verify – For Now

  Shawn Hessinger

  23 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  If you haven’t heard of the E-Verify system yet, chances are you will in the future.  E-Verify is an online system used by employers to verify that a worker is eligible to work in the United States. Very recently there was a push to make E-Verify a mandatory requirement for ALL employers. It was included in the Senate immigration bill wending its way through Congress currently. At the last minute, the E-Verify provision was eliminated from the immigration bill.  And small businesses and small business advocates who see E-Verify as a regulatory burden, breathed a sigh of relief. For…

• 

  Seth's Blog

• Thoughts on education and the burgeoning trophy shortage

  Seth Godin

  23 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  It's graduation season, so a few relevant links about school, students and our future: Here's the audio of an interview I did with PlayBuffet My TEDx talk about education And a reminder about Stop Stealing Dreams, a free manifesto that asks, "what is school for?" I hope we can ask this question more and more often... Feel free to share with your favorite graduate. Or her parents. Bonus: 20 video minutes at Creative Mornings.

• Let's start with "sorry"

  Seth Godin

  22 May 2013 | 2:43 am

  By the time the phone rings, there's already trouble. When that manager is called or this department is reached, it's because someone is disappointed, angry or stuck. Illness, broken promises or a real urgency have led to this new conversation even taking place. So don't start with, "[Name of company] mumble mumble" as if there's a blank slate just waiting to be written on. There's already a lot of writing on that slate. Don't demand to know the record number or begin with doubt and an edge of dismissal. Be on our team. "It sounds like we've got a situation on our hands..." is a fine way to…

• Levels of marketing magic, the placebo effects of desire

  Seth Godin

  21 May 2013 | 2:45 am

  ANTICIPATION: Before the product is released, the true fans are buzzing and speculating and waiting in line. The anticipation is self-reinforcing, a placebo effect of desire. UTILITY: The album is good, the software is useful, the book changes things. It works better than we hoped. Exceeding expectations pays significant dividends. REMARK: It's purple. Remarkable. Worth talking about. The word spreads. Ten people tell ten people and suddenly, it's abuzz. Not because of PR or hype, but because the remarkability is built right into the product or service itself. And more people enjoy things…

• You should buy the book

  Seth Godin

  20 May 2013 | 8:33 am

  Mitch Joel is a generous and perceptive blogger. Well worth the daily read. He has a new book. You should buy it. David Meerman Scott writes an essential blog, daily. His book is a classic. You should buy it. Tom Asacker writes a very thoughtful blog about marketing. Worth the read. He has a new book. You should buy it, too. Every day, Mark Frauenfelder and Corey Doctorow blog tons of goodness at Boingboing. They each have books. You should buy them and share them. Bernadette Jiwa's blog keeps getting better and better and you are probably already reading it. She has a new book on the way.

• No Signal

  Seth Godin

  20 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  At a party the other day, I saw a dead TV monitor. On the screen it said something like, "No signal... check power, cable and source selection..." It doesn't matter at all how hard the DVD player was trying to put on a show. It is irrelevant how good the show on cable was. If it's not getting through, no one sees it. All of us own our own media companies now. We each have the ability to speak up, to tell our stories, and if we're good and if we're lucky, to be heard. Too often, though, there's no signal. You may be pumping noise through your social media outlets, but noise isn't signal. It's…

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  Our Editors

• Don't Blame Apple for America's Broken Tax Code

  Gretchen Gavett

  23 May 2013 | 8:15 am

  On Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook testified in front of the Congressional Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations as a part of their look into the company's corporate tax practices — according to Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the committee, "Apple successfully sought the holy grail of tax avoidance. It has created offshore entities holding tens of billions of dollars while claiming to be tax resident nowhere." I asked Mihir A. Desai, a professor and dean at Harvard Business School, a professor at Harvard Law School, and the author of a 2012 HBR article on taxing businesses, a few…

• Strategic Humor: Cartoons from the June 2013 Issue

  Meghan Ennes

  20 May 2013 | 9:00 am

  Enjoy these cartoons from the June issue of HBR, and test your management wit in the HBR Cartoon Caption Contest at the bottom of this post. If we choose your caption as the winner, you will be featured in next month's magazine and win a free Harvard Business Review Press book. "It's not a requirement, but if you have a PhD in the arts or humanities, it's definitely a plus." Kaamran Hafeez "Most people prefer to keep their pencils and coffee in separate cups." Michael Shaw "Interns." Kaamran Hafeez "Oh, so you're homing from work today." Kaamran Hafeez And congratulations to our May caption…

• Change the World and Get to Bed by 10:00

  Julia Kirby

  13 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  Let's say you believed deeply in the importance of sleep health, and you wanted to start a movement to change people's attitudes and behavior. Maybe, like Arianna Huffington, it's a personal crisis that convinces you. Or maybe it's a key piece of research or two that opens your eyes, as it were, to the dangers of too little sleep: As a choice of cause, you could do a lot worse. Getting sufficient sleep is a need that every human on the planet shares. And for many people, the ability to do that is increasingly under assault, as daily rhythms are disrupted by the changing nature of work and…

• How GE Uses Data Visualization to Tell Complex Stories

  Gretchen Gavett

  9 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  GE, perhaps more than any other major company, is dedicated to the use of data visualization as a key part of its marketing and communications efforts. Stemming from last month's Insight Center on visualizing data, I spoke with Linda Boff, GE's executive director of global brand marketing, about the benefits and challenges of this approach. An edited version of our conversation is below. What's the history of data visualization at GE? How did your strategy around it develop? GE specializes in complex challenges in solving the toughest problems in the world: Infrastructure, renewable energy,…

• What We've Learned About Communicating with Employees in an Emergency

  Sarah Green

  22 Apr 2013 | 1:59 pm

  On Friday, with the Boston metro area on lockdown, many folks stuck at home were running an experiment in how much information can be consumed at once. I maxed out with a laptop streaming video coverage, iPhone full of tweets, TV blaring footage, and radio providing analysis — all simultaneously. (I'd have been using the iPad too, but was limited by having only two hands, dangit.) While we do live in an era of great access to information, this proliferation of devices only made it that much more obvious that the river of information had slowed to a frustrating drip. But the inability to…

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  Scott Anthony

• Looking to Join the Lean Start-up Movement?

  Scott Anthony

  26 Apr 2013 | 9:00 am

  I love Lean. In my eyes, the work Steve Blank, Eric Ries, and others have done to provide a cogent, accessible frame around the academic concepts of emergent strategy is one of the most important contributions to the innovation movement over the past few years. I have repeatedly stated that the next wave of innovation will come from companies that harness the transformational power that too often lies latent inside their organizations. There is a growing sense that so-called lean start-up techniques — developing a minimal viable product, learning in the marketplace, and pivoting based…

• How To Really Measure a Company's Innovation Prowess

  Scott Anthony

  21 Mar 2013 | 10:00 am

  Who is the world's most innovative company? The editors of Fast Company say Nike. Last year, number crunchers at Forbes found that Salesforce.com is the company with the highest "Innovation Premium" baked into its stock price. MIT Technology Review didn't pick a winner, but on its recent list of top 50 "disruptors," the magazine mixed stalwarts such as General Electric and IBM with up-and-comers, Square and Coursera. The difference of opinion isn't a new thing — in fact, if you look back a few years at similar lists you'll see less than 50% overlap. Why? Perhaps a company's ability to…

• Seeing Through the Fog of Innovation

  Scott Anthony

  25 Feb 2013 | 10:00 am

  The Fog of Innovation — that moment when you realize that the data you need to make a critical decision about an innovative idea just aren't clear. Unfortunately, the data rarely are. For most large companies that find themselves lost in the fog, the default answer is to keep studying. After all, a risk that doesn't pan out tends to have more negative repercussions than risks not taken. But remember: data only become crystal clear when it is too late to take action on that data. And time spent waiting for perfect clarity creates room for disruptive upstarts and hungry competitors.

• Your Innovation Problem Is Really a Leadership Problem

  Scott Anthony

  13 Feb 2013 | 6:00 am

  When Karl Ronn recently said, "Companies that think they have an innovation problem don't have an innovation problem. They have a leadership problem," I listened carefully. I featured Ronn, a former P&G executive (and current executive coach and entrepreneur), in several places in The Little Black Book of Innovation, most notably for his rant against the evils of focus groups. Ronn is thoughtful, widely read, a seasoned practitioner, and a great communicator. Ronn's basic idea was that four decades of academic research and two decades of conscious implementation of that work have provided…

• Who Is Your Innovation Pig?

  Scott Anthony

  6 Feb 2013 | 10:00 am

  Take a look at your innovation pipeline. Odds are it is overflowing with rich ideas brimming with growth potential... on paper at least. Look deeper. Identify the projects that are the most different and disruptive, the ones with the greatest potential to create new growth. How are they staffed? If you are like all too many companies, at least a few will be staffed with — or even led by — people who allegedly are spending five or 10% of their time on the project. A sprinkle of this and a dash of that can make a nice soup, but it's no way to create vibrant growth businesses. If you…

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  Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

• The 6 Metrics That Determine Your Success On Facebook

  Guest Post

  23 May 2013 | 5:10 am

  Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is Emeric Ernoult – Enjoy! Feeling a bit lost with your Facebook Page insights?  Good.  Facebook Insights terminology (https://www.facebook.com/help/336143376466063/) was not built for humans, and now that we know you are not a killer robot from Mars, we’ll help you measure your Facebook Page’s performance without drowning in all that robotic Martian muck. What can be measured can be managed (and improved).  These are the first six key metrics non-robots must track to understand…

• My Content Creation Toolbox

  John Jantsch

  22 May 2013 | 9:33 am

  This month’s theme here at Duct Tape Marketing is writing – you might enjoy these two posts if you have read them yet – 7 Things I Did Not Know About Writing Before I Started and How I Write and How I Decide What To Write photo credit: erin m via photopin cc Essentially, from a marketer’s point of view, writing is about producing content for the purpose of turning interest to purchase. In that pursuit there are many forms of content that come into play. Content that must create awareness, trust, education, engagement and conversion and, in many cases, take the form of…

• Reboot Your Business and Your Life

  John Jantsch

  22 May 2013 | 8:37 am

  Marketing podcast with Mitch Joel I’ve been sensing a change these days. Actually, like most change, it happens in a way that is imperceptible, until you step back and look at something like a six month window. Then you can see it. photo credit: andjohan via photopin cc The world of marketing has changed – social, local, mobile – all powered by content, has happened, it’s not a fad – and yet businesses are still acting as though they can treat it as such. But here’s the really scary thing – it’s changing again. For this week’s episode of…

• How I Write and How I Decide What To Write

  John Jantsch

  21 May 2013 | 4:39 am

  People seem fascinated with routines – how other people get things done and the like. While you do need to develop your own way of getting it all done, it can be inspiring and reassuring to hear how others are doing it. (Yesterday I wrote – 7 Things I Did Not Know About Writing Before I Started) How I decide what to write about photo credit: Sven Van Echelpoel via photopin cc I have a pretty solid editorial calendar that runs out about a year in terms of monthly focus themes so my blog posts, podcasts and guest content is lined up to match my annual plan. For example, this month’s…

• 7 Things I Did Not Know About Writing Before I Started

  John Jantsch

  20 May 2013 | 4:29 am

  I remember thinking I wanted to be a writer as far back as high school. Only thing is I didn’t really know how to become one. photo credit: geoftheref via photopin cc Then one day I decided that writing articles would be a good way to build my business, so I just started writing and a funny thing happened. The practiced of writing daily turned me into a writer. But, the habit of writing also shaped far more than my ability to create meaningful sentences and that’s the reason I believe that everyone in business must write. Writing to express my thoughts transformed everything about how…

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  Bootstrapping a Startup - Business Exchange

• Something Ventured

  Business Exchange

  20 May 2013 | 11:15 pm

  This movie, Something Ventured, offers a unique insight into the rise of venture capital, with some notable examples. So watch and learn about "the single greatest engine of innovation and economic growth in the 20th century"

• 7 Killer Tools to Boost Startup Sales in 2012

  Business Exchange

  5 Dec 2011 | 8:44 am

  Marketing Matters for Local Business

• The New Rules for Startups

  Business Exchange

  22 Nov 2011 | 9:57 am

  Raising capital is an intense process, which can be made easier by taking into consideration the following ten rules

• How to Grow a Business (With Little Cash)

  Business Exchange

  14 Apr 2011 | 3:59 am

  In today’s world, stretching your dollar is an important concept, especially for entrepreneurs. While securing funding to expand your fledgling business is important, it’s also key to know the various ways you can grow your business with little capital investment.

• Ten Tips on How to Get the Entrepreneur X-Factor

  Business Exchange

  31 Oct 2011 | 9:15 am

  To be successful as an entrepreneur, you don’t have to be a fabulous person, but it helps. Some people, and some entrepreneurs, have that something extra, like Simon Cowell is searching for on the X-Factor, that you can’t quite put

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  Andy Sernovitz | Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That!

• Newsletter #938: The “Anticipate It” Issue

  Andy Sernovitz

  23 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  [Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] Customer service isn’t just about fixing problems after they happen — it’s also about proactively making sure your customers are happy. Sometimes, that means anticipating what could go wrong, preparing to surprise and delight, or showing you understand even the smallest part of their experience. Here are three ways to give your customers a great reason to talk about you: 1. When…

• You shouldn’t be surprised about the FTC rules

  Andy Sernovitz

  22 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Greg Gerik wrote an insightful post about one of my presentations on the importance of the FTC’s disclosure requirements. Read it here. He makes a great point: If you do not know the rules, you should not play the game. The time to learn how to … properly manage a sponsored campaign is not when you are in the middle of it. Any agency, manager, or strategist that is worth their salt should have awareness of these basic, foundational parts of the digital world. In 1938, FDR signed the Truth in Advertising rules that gave the FTC the authority to protect against “Unfair and…

• 50 small things to help improve your customer service

  Andy Sernovitz

  21 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Here’s a guest post Greg Meyer, a member of the Customer WOW team at Desk.com, wrote for our WordofMouth.org project. Check it out for more great word of mouth marketing tips like this every day. “The Thank You Effect” is an example of a small action that prompts meaningful next steps to measurably improve service in any company. In my experience, there are a number of these small actions that, when evangelized through a support team or through the larger company, can really make a difference on the customer experience. So I made a list of 50 small things that you can do to…

• Copy Protection is the Opposite of Copy Promotion (which we call “marketing”)

  Andy Sernovitz

  20 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  I’ve often thought that over-done efforts at copy protection kill the limited piracy that helps start the word of mouth about new content. Or they just make it too hard to use, and frustrated consumers walk away. David Pogue writes about Tor Books’ test where they dropped copy protection and saw no measurable increase in piracy. Read it here. David’s analysis is right on: Copy protection is never going to stop determined pirates Folks with no money aren’t ever going to pay you anyway, so it doesn’t matter if they steal the work If it’s easy enough to buy…

• It’s the empty space that’s useful

  Andy Sernovitz

  19 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Lao Tzu said: Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub; It is the center hole that makes it useful. Shape clay into a vessel; It is the space within that makes it useful. Cut doors and windows for a room; It is the holes which make it useful. Therefore benefit comes from what is there; Usefulness from what is not there. We manage communities for executives and this is very relevant advice: It not the content we produce that makes our communities useful, it’s the empty space that we give them to talk to each other that’s so valuable. Our job isn’t to fill the empty space,…

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  The Get Smart Blog

• 6 Great Apps to Survive Any Music Festival

  Bridget Ayers

  2 May 2013 | 1:02 pm

    With so many great events approaching and for many, far too little time to prepare, some concert goers may need a little bit of assistance to get through hours or days on their feet and in the sun. Here are a list of helpful apps to get you through those crazy gatherings.   Waterin One of the most important things to do at an outdoor concert, particularly if its hot is to stay adequately hydrated. This easy-to-use free app simply serves as a reminder to drink enough during the day and can notify a user to drink up through notifications.   Find my iPhone Another typical…

• People Finder on Google – Big Brand Does It’s Small Part for Boston

  Bridget Ayers

  16 Apr 2013 | 2:07 pm

  Google Person Finder  helps people reconnect with friends and loved ones in the aftermath of natural and humanitarian disasters. Google Person Finder is a project of Google Crisis Response, part of the tech giant’s non-profit arm, Google.org. When a crisis strikes and people are separated from each other they may let the world know they are looking for someone with Google Person Finder. As the tool is being populated, you can either search for someone or share information about someone’s whereabouts. The tool includes a disclaimer stating that Google doesn’t review or…

• Vine: What’s It All About?

  Hanna Smolan

  12 Apr 2013 | 4:27 pm

  Image  Twitter’s first standalone product, Vine claims to be “the best way to see and share life in motion” (via Vine’s Twitter bio) So what is Vine, exactly? It’s an application that can be downloaded on any device that allows users to create and view 6 second looping video. So Why Do We Love It? Vine continues to prove its’ innovation because it’s simple and easy to use. Simply touching the screen and holding down the recording button allows you to record footage. If you want to stop, let the button go. Now, because of Vine, creating a quick gif is as doable as posting a…

• Dropbox for Business is Here

  Bridget Ayers

  10 Apr 2013 | 11:05 am

  In its early days, Dropbox primarily focused its efforts towards the regular consumer. Though, as the popular file-sharing service grew, more and more businesses began adopting the useful tool. After dabbling with business-focused features for a while, Dropbox is now officially launching Dropbox for Business, with tools designed to make the service as convenient as possible for IT managers. The new feature users seem to be most excited with is the introduction of single sign-on, a feature which let a company’s employees sign into Dropbox with the same login info they use for all…

• The 411 On #SXSW: What It’s All About

  Bridget Ayers

  13 Mar 2013 | 6:04 pm

  What is SXSW?   South by Southwest (SXSW, Inc.) is a private company based in Austin, Texas, with a year-round staff of professionals dedicated to building and delivering conference and festival events for entertainment and related media industry professionals. Since 1987, SXSW has produced the internationally recognized Music and Media Conference & Festival. In 1994 as the entertainment business adjusted to issues of future growth and development, SXSW added conferences and festivals for the film industry (SXSW Film) as well as for the blossoming interactive media (SXSW…

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  ChangeThis Newsletter

• 105.01

  changethis@gmail.com (ChangeThis)

  15 May 2013 | 11:56 am

  Monster Loyalty: How to Build Customer Loyalty like Lady Gaga by Jackie Huba “While known as much for her voice as for her over-the-top wardrobe, few recognize Lady Gaga for her stunning business acumen, which has earned her legions of loyal fans worldwide.”

• 105.02

  changethis@gmail.com (ChangeThis)

  15 May 2013 | 11:53 am

  Brains Favor the Ridiculously In Charge Leader by Henry Cloud, Ph.D “Leaders must establish some key boundaries in some very key areas if they want to get results. And, thanks to brain research, we now can scientifically get a peek into why the leaders who do establish these kinds of boundaries get the results that they get.”

• 105.03

  changethis@gmail.com (ChangeThis)

  15 May 2013 | 11:52 am

  Mentorship 2.0: How to Find the Mentor You Need by Dorie Clark “Waiting for a mentor to appear like a deus ex machina is a loser's game. Some people luck out, but most don't. This manifesto is about how to make your own luck—how to proactively identify the people you want in your life as mentors, cultivate real relationships, and look beyond the obvious.”

• 105.04

  changethis@gmail.com (ChangeThis)

  15 May 2013 | 11:51 am

  Recharge: 7 Ways to Improve Innovative Thinking by Debra Kaye “If companies want to innovate the way successful bold newcomers have, they have to unplug from the constraints of, 'That’s the way we’ve always done it,' and recharge, starting with the mantra, 'Let’s just not do that anymore.'”

• 105.05

  changethis@gmail.com (ChangeThis)

  15 May 2013 | 11:50 am

  The Art of Adherence by Lee J. Colan, PhD & Julie Davis-Colan “Achieving adherence is simple but not necessarily easy. It takes skill and creativity to continually nurture focus, competence, and passion with your team. This is why we call it the art of adherence.”

• 

  Business Opportunities Weblog

• Forget the Potato: Jalapeno Chips!

  Dane Carlson

  22 May 2013 | 9:18 pm

  After many years of trying to make potato chips taste like jalapenos, the creators of Deano’s Jalapenos decided to ditch the potato all together. Their chips are “non-potato chips” made out of thin slices of jalapeno. The peppers are deep-friend and flavored with sea salt, cheddar or ranch. We use the freshest jalapenos available, shipped dailey from Texas and New Mexico. Our cheddar coating has just the right flavor to enhance the flavor of the jalapeno, which gives it a nice finish to the chip. Once again there are no potatoes used in Deanos Jalapeno Cheddar Chips. The…

• Keeping the Ketchup Flowing

  Dane Carlson

  22 May 2013 | 9:18 pm

  Co.Exsist: When it comes to those last globs of ketchup inevitably stuck to every bottle of Heinz, most people either violently shake the container in hopes of eking out another drop or two, or perform the “secret” trick: smacking the “57” logo on the bottle’s neck. But not MIT PhD candidate Dave Smith. He and a team of mechanical engineers and nano-technologists at the Varanasi Research Group have been held up in an MIT lab for the last two months addressing this common dining problem. The result? LiquiGlide, a “super slippery” coating made up of…

• Priceonomics: How Much Should You Sell That For?

  Dane Carlson

  22 May 2013 | 9:18 pm

  US News: Have you ever tried to sell something on Craigslist but didn’t really have an idea on how much to ask for it? Or have you tried to buy something online but weren’t sure if you were getting the best deal? This is where Priceonomics comes in. Priceonomics is the price guide for everything. It takes the guesswork out of the process and tells you exactly how much you should be paying for any used item. When you search for an item, you can see how the site’s team came up with the price and view the data they used. If you’re searching for an out-of-the-ordinary item, always…

• Serial Entrepreneur Opens Startup Hatchery

  Angela Shupe

  22 May 2013 | 9:17 pm

  Mass High Tech Business News: Bob Caspe knows a thing or two about startup businesses. Caspe, a serial entrepreneur and professor of entrepreneurship at Babson College, has co-founded Wellesley-based IEC Partners LLC and launched the International Entrepreneurship Center. The company, co-founded by six partners, supports the center, which provides resources to businesses that have “clearly defined business customers and partners” at it 9,000-square-foot center in Newton. Located in a historic hemp mill on Nevada Street, the center includes more than 35 furnished workstations to be used by…

• 10 Worst Named Restaurants

  Dane Carlson

  22 May 2013 | 9:17 pm

  Smell Fast Food Little Drooling Bear Food Watery Coffee Herpes Pizza Smart Noshery Makes You Slobber OK Chinese Food Wet New Modern Age Dining Room Meat Patty Explode the Stomach Restoran Fatso Come & Wait Restaurant Via stupidest.com and BuzzFeed.

• 

  Signal vs. Noise

• PHOTO: Illustrations for REMOTE: Office Not Required…

  David

  23 May 2013 | 7:40 am

  Illustrations for REMOTE: Office Not Required are being done by the fantastic Mike Rohde again. This one is for the essay “Stop Commuting Your Life Away”. The book is due out in October of this year.

• LINK: Ryan on Jobs-To-Be-Done Radio

  Ryan

  16 May 2013 | 11:55 am

  Ryan on Jobs-To-Be-Done Radio I talked about software design and seeing through the customer’s eyes for 30 minutes on Jobs-To-Be-Done Radio. In my favorite part we thoroughly debunked personas and talked about how situations, not attributes drive behavior. Hosts Bob and Chris are collaborators of Clay Christensen and they strongly influenced my thinking over the past year. It was a blast to chat on the show.

• Don’t have the right gear? Make it.

  Shaun

  13 May 2013 | 2:04 pm

  I’ve been working on some video tests with the iPhone and I needed to mount it on tripod for some steadier shots. Some folks in the office had good things to say about the Glif from Studio Neat, but the only one we had lying around didn’t fit my phone and sat kinda goofy on our tripod plate. So, I did something I wouldn’t have imagined possible a few years ago. I printed a new one. We got a 3D printer in the office a few months ago. So far it’s been used to make little statues, paperclips, even some chain mail. So I went about designing a new baseplate for our tripod.

• LINK: The 37signals Report Card

  37signals

  8 May 2013 | 6:30 am

  The 37signals Report Card We’ve long believed in the value of transparency at 37signals. It’s why we write about how we work and why we provide real-time information about our customer happiness and uptime. We like being held to a high standard, and we think there’s no one better to do so than our customers. Today we’re taking another step towards greater transparency with the launch of the 37signals Report Card. This report card, which we’ll update monthly (April 2013 is available now; subscribe to be emailed the report each month), provides a high level…

• VIDEO: “If you wanna meet with me… come…

  Jason Fried

  5 May 2013 | 12:28 pm

  “If you wanna meet with me… come to the garden… with your shovel… so we can plant some shit.” -Ron Finley

• 

  Small Biz Survival

• Set your economic development data free

  Becky McCray

  23 May 2013 | 3:57 am

  “Look, if you don’t shop local, we’re going to have to run you out of town on a rail!” Economic developers have a reputation for being secretive and even hoarding data. Alva’s Chamber of Commerce is trying to be different and releasing a key set of retail data to the public. Alexandra Mantz (just call her Alex) serves as both director for the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Director for the City of Alva. (Yes, it’s a small town.) A few years ago, she arranged to get a retail gap study to find out what people are leaving town to buy. It shows…

• Hiring First Employee is Big Step

  Glenn Muske

  22 May 2013 | 4:41 am

  Your first employees become a public face for your business. Making the right choices can be critical. Photo by Becky McCray. Hiring the first employee is a huge step for a small business. If your small business has reached the point where you need help because the assistance of family and friends no longer covers the gaps, you may have reached the point where you need bring paid staff on board. (A previous Small Biz Survival article focused on helping you decide when the time to hire someone had arrived – http://bit.ly/10eSmjl ). Once you have determined you want to hire employees, the…

• Two successful agritourism ideas

  Becky McCray

  21 May 2013 | 12:19 am

  Feeding the alpaca at Bradt’s Menagerie. What started as a project for the kids that got out of hand is now an agritourism business. Photo by Becky McCray. Last week, I had the chance to tour two agri-tourism operations near my hometown of Alva, Oklahoma. Here are their stories. Bradt’s Menagerie Jerad and JoDe Bradt wanted to get their kids out of video games and more into the real world. Jerad suggested they try raising chickens. JoDe had raised chicks when she was little, too, and remembered them not-too-fondly. But they gave it a try with a box of mail-order chicks. Soon the…

• Sell more by giving samples of your services

  Becky McCray

  20 May 2013 | 2:24 am

  Remember the yoga instructor who is going to do a video for her business? She told me that once people come to one class, they usually come back. So how can she get more people to make it to the first class? By cutting down the hurdles that stand between them and the first class. Sampling is the answer, even when what you sell is a service. Here are some ideas we came up with: Once people try a yoga class, they tend to stick with it. So how can she get more people to that first class? With fun, easy samples. Photo (cc) by Tom Mooring. At the county fair, have a booth with a lovely textured…

• We do Brag Basket every week

  Becky McCray

  16 May 2013 | 11:57 pm

  The Brag Basket is our tradition of sharing. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one May 17-19, 2013. What good news will you add to the brag basket? Don’t hold back because of that word, “brag.” When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others. Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it’s not really about bragging. It’s about sharing. What can you do in the Brag Basket? introduce yourself share some great news from this week congratulate a friend laugh about something wonderful that you tried that failed applaud for each…

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  Superinnovator

• Good Read: Monopoly Rules by Dr. Milind Lele

  Bill Burnett

  9 May 2013 | 6:41 am

  Monopoly Rules does something interesting.  It takes a concept like niche marketing and with the simple pen stroke changing the word from ‘niche’ to ‘monopoly’ opens up a wonderful new way of thinking about market position.  The author suggest that the prime goal for any company is to hold a monopoly position in whatever you deliver for customers.  Harvard graduate Dr Milind Lele, the author, suggests that there are five tests for monopoly Do your customers see only you? Are you invisible to your competitors? Are your true competitors outside the dotted lines?  Do…

• We don’t need no stinkin’ bosses.

  Bill Burnett

  30 Apr 2013 | 4:01 am

  You’re about to have an interaction with your boss.  Here are your choices: The boss praises and recognizes your work. The boss tells you how to do your job. The boss scolds you. Which do you choose?   This is the question that leads to the proposition that if you want to engage employees you must give them praise and recognition.  But sometimes we leave out the most revealing alternative:  “Is the glass half full or half empty?”  The alternative view might be: “perhaps the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.” In the question above, perhaps the real…

• “What drives employee engagement?” Asks the wrong question.

  Bill Burnett

  27 Apr 2013 | 5:51 am

  Seeking the answer to the wrong question is a pathway to futility. We keep asking the wrong question “What drives employee engagement?” That is why we continue to struggle with workforce populations where only a small percent of workers are fully engaged. Instead we should turn the question on it’s ear.  “What causes employees to become disengaged?”  Whatever that is, let’s stop doing it. Here is a consequence of asking the wrong question.  We see a study that says that there is a correlation between low levels of ‘senior management taking a genuine interest in…

• Put on your CEO hat and make some money!

  Bill Burnett

  18 Apr 2013 | 9:11 pm

  WEBINAR: Thur. April 25, 2013 from Noon to 1:00PM link – http://thnk2013apr.eventbrite.com  Put on your CEO hat for a moment.  Let’s suppose you had an operating margin of 10% and that about 20% of your employees are highly engaged (this is the norm for many larger companies).  An expert tells you that if you lift the percent of highly engaged workers from where it is now up to 50% (not easily attained with today’s techniques) you’d expect to see an impact on your operating margin. How would you estimate that impact?  Highly engaged workers are likely to treat…

• Power of Meaning

  Bill Burnett

  17 Apr 2013 | 11:28 am

  In our book "Behave! How to get 100% of your workers fully engaged"  We talk about two very powerful and sustainable motivators.  One of those is Meaning.  Meaning is about behavior that has value to us personally.  It includes accomplishment, self-creation, problem solving, the sense of mastery, and doing good.  Whatever it is, it matters to us personally. I use the example of my wife using Method cleaning products.  Method’s products are all environmentally friendly, no negative impact on the environment.  The packaging is all either fully biodegradable…

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  Marketing Practice

• Brand Update : TVS Wego wants you to Find Your We Time

  Harish B

  21 May 2013 | 9:50 am

  TVS Wego , launched in 2011, was an earnest effort by TVS to garner a fair share of the Indian scooter market which was dominated by Honda's Activa. The brand had a high profile launch with a campaign pitching on one feature - Body Balance. Two years down the line, Wego although had a good start failed to make a significant impact on the scooter market ( source). The customers were not that impressed by the way the company had tried to convey its message through the launch campaign.In 2013, TVS is running another campaign with a new theme - We Time. The new thinking is probably the…

• Tata Motors : What ails the brand ?

  Harish B

  18 May 2013 | 11:43 am

  India's largest automobile company is struggling with its passenger car business. The company which owns best selling ( once upon a time) brands like Indica, Indigo, Safari and the " Iconic" Nano is finding it difficult to sell their cars in a market which is diesel crazy. Isn't it ironic that Tata Motors is not at the top of a market where diesel models are selling like hot cakes ?I was reading a very critical piece of analysis in Forbes India ( read here) which throws in many pertinent issues. My two cents is that there is a larger issues of marketing in play here. Tata Motors has a big…

• Market Statistics : Indian Fitness-Wear Market

  Harish B

  17 May 2013 | 1:01 am

  Business Standard dtd 17/05/2013 puts the Indian fitness-wear market at a whopping Rs 4000 crore growing at the rate of 25% per annum. The market is dominated by shoe category. The report says that the traditional audience for this market is youth aged 15-35. Marketers opine that the segment now includes older adults because of the increased awareness towards fitness. Global brands like Nike, Reebok, Puma, Fila etc are vying for their share in this market. 

• Fiat : It is the Service, Stupid !

  Harish B

  6 May 2013 | 11:50 am

  Corporate Brand : FiatBrand Analysis Count : 525World's 7th largest automotive company, a company that markets iconic brands like Ferrari , a company whose diesel engine powers the best selling hatchback ( marketed by a competitor) is having a market share of ~0.3 % share in World's 5th largest automobile market. Isn't it ironic !Fiat had so far three avatars  in the Indian market. In its first avatar , the company licensed its product to an Indian company Premier Automobile Ltd. Premier sold these cars under the brand name Premier Padmini and Premier 118 NE. That was in the early…

• MeriiBoy Ice cream : Fighting Frozen Desserts

  Harish B

  1 May 2013 | 11:36 am

  Brand : MeriiBoyCompany : Cousin's GroupBrand Analysis Count : 524MeriiBoy is a brand from my home state Kerala. The brand is an interesting marketing story because it virtually changed the perception about ice-creams in the consumer's mind to a certain extent. The brand was created in 2003 as a part of the diversification of the parent group which was in the plastic moulding business.MeriiBoy is interesting because it is on a task of educating the consumers about " real" ice-cream. The brand is positioned on the fact that it is made of pure milk and hence it is THE ice- cream. Most of the…

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  Business Blogs

• Pioneer of LED Lighting, Pervaiz Lodhie of LEDtronics, Shares His Secrets to Success

  Melanie Rembrandt

  15 May 2013 | 6:17 am

  Starting a business out of your garage? Check out these insights! You’ve heard about entrepreneurs who start their businesses in their garage and become true successes. What is their secret? Well, recently I found out about Pervaiz Lodhie. He started LEDtronics, Inc., www.ledtronics.com, in his garage with his wife, Almas, in 1983. Today, he has a very successful business headquartered in Torrance, California providing LED (light-emitting diode) products worldwide and is known as the pioneer of LED lighting. I interviewed Pervaiz to get some of his inside secrets, and here’s what he had…

• What is Content Marketing?

  Melanie Rembrandt

  9 May 2013 | 6:54 am

  Does your business need content marketing? There is a lot of buzz out there about “content marketing” and how it can make your business successful. But what is content marketing, anyway? It’s just a fancy name for using content to market to customers. And as I’ve said many times before, by providing value to your customers with good copy, or content, you create a more credible reputation. Plus, if you offer good content, people will want to tell their friends about your products and services. Why use content marketing? Ragan Communications offered a great article on why content…

• Exclusive Interview with Rich Dad’s Robert Kiyosaki

  Melanie Rembrandt

  3 May 2013 | 4:14 am

  Insights on “Why ‘A’ Students Work for ‘C’ Students—and ‘B’ Students Work for the Government” In an exclusive for StartupNation, Robert Kiyosaki, successful entrepreneur, investor and author of the #1 Personal Finance book of all time, “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” offered his insights related to his new book, “Why ‘A’ Students Work for ‘C’ Students—and ‘B’ Students Work for the Government.” In regard to this financial education guide for parents, here’s what Robert had to say: Why did you write this book? I wrote “Why ‘A’ Students Work for ‘C’…

• Good PR Results Not Possible? Baloney!

  Melanie Rembrandt

  2 May 2013 | 1:54 pm

  Are You Getting the PR Reports Necessary for Success? By Melanie Rembrandt For many years, it was very difficult to show the results of a public relations, or PR, campaign. After all, you could spend hours on the phone pitching media members and not see any results. Plus, due to the nature of public relations, no one can guarantee results (Hint – if you hear a PR person tell you that they can guarantee results – Run!). The final say as to whether the media broadcasts or publishes your story is always up to the editors, producers and publishers out there. Basically, you have no control…

• Find Out Why Your SEO Isn’t Working

  Melanie Rembrandt

  25 Apr 2013 | 10:31 am

  Are you making this big, SEO mistake? Does this sound familiar when it comes to your SEO, or search engine optimization, efforts? You added a bunch of keywords to your site but haven’t seen an increase in site rankings. You paid a big, SEO company to help you, but you are still waiting for results. You have no idea what SEO is and are just ignoring it! If any of these sound familiar, it’s time to review your SEO activities and concentrate on what is most important. After all, SEO can significantly increase sales if done correctly. Important SEO activities include the following: Conduct…

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  Mobile Marketing Watch

• Apple Earns Media Ratings Council Accreditation for iAd

  Jared

  23 May 2013 | 1:50 pm

  Apple’s iAd has earned a rare distinction among mobile ad networks. iAd has become the first major mobile ad network to be fully accredited by the Media Ratings Council. The achievement, AdAge reports, is the result of Apple’s purported strict adherence to the standards that the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Mobile Marketing Association released in early 2013. During the auditing process, iAd demonstrated accurate reporting of impressions, taps, tap-through-rate, visits, views, views-per-visit, average time spent, conversions, unique devices and unique device visits.

• WWDC 2013 Keynote Set for June 10th

  MikeR

  23 May 2013 | 12:15 pm

  Apple confirmed Thursday that the keynote address for WWDC 2013 will take place on June 10th, as the conference begins that morning at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California. Tim Cook will commence WWDC 2013 by presenting the keynote address, sources confirm. In past years, Apple hasn’t been forthcoming about what announcements will be made at the annual developer’s conference. But this year, it’s a different story. Apple has already revealed that the company will debut and demo the next major releases of both iOS and OS X. As of this writing, other speakers and…

• Atlantic City Betting It All on Internet Gambling

  ChristaH

  23 May 2013 | 11:25 am

  Atlantic City’s casinos are betting their hopes on the promise and lucrative potential of Internet gambling. According to a comprehensive new AP report, New Jersey’s casinos are optimistic that online gaming will “revive the market’s flagging fortunes.” This week, a panel of Wall Street analysts addressed the East Coast Gaming Congress and strongly asserted a collective view that internet gambling may hold the key to ending the city’s “seven-year losing streak.” “I’m probably one of the more bullish people on this,” professed…

• Square Embarks on Global Mobile Payments Takeover

  Michael

  23 May 2013 | 10:45 am

  Square today announced the availability of its hugely popular and successful mobile payments solution in Japan. Essentially, the Jack Dorsey-founded company made it official: Square is on the march toward global mobile payments domination. “I am honored to introduce Square to a country with a rich history of design, innovation and tradition. Square shares the same values and attention to detail in our products. Our tools are made to enable business owners to create a delightful, seamless experience for their customers,” said Dorsey. “I look forward to Square assisting in Japan’s…

• Amazon Appstore for Android Makes International Splash

  Michael

  23 May 2013 | 10:17 am

  Amazon announced Thursday that the Amazon Appstore is now truly cosmopolitan. The app store is, as of this writing, available in nearly 200 countries. This announcement is the latest in a series of global expansions, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China and Japan. Amazon Appstore will come to Brazil in the coming months. Customers around the world can now buy apps and games directly from the Amazon Appstore on Macs, PCs or Android phones and tablets (including Kindle Fire). According to today’s announcement, the Kindle Fire is globe-hopping almost as fast as the Amazon…

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  Branding Strategy Insider

• 8 Ways To React To Brand Critics

  Guest Author

  21 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  Being non-popular is not the same as being unpopular. Brands that are non-popular are simply not prepared to do whatever it takes to court popular favor. They do their own thing, their own way – and look to attract cult followings via like minds. But brands that have become unpopular have lost likeability. That’s a disturbing development if you’re trying to be liked by as many people as possible. The hardest thing about seeking to be liked is that we all do business today in an environment where criticism is ubiquitous. The ability for anyone with an internet connection to not just hold…

• Creating A Powerful Brand Manifesto

  Guest Author

  20 May 2013 | 7:03 pm

  On All Saint’s Day 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church, sparking, in the eyes of many, what would become the Protestant Reformation. Whether or not he actually did post the Theses (of course there is historical debate) and what that generated are off-topic, but the action of pinning your colors to a statement of beliefs for all the world to see lies at the core of building and articulating an opinionated brand. Brands build trust through behaviors. And behaviors should be based on clear principles. Those principles should bring your purpose to life by…

• A Brand That Discounts Or A Discount Brand?

  Guest Author

  14 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  This article in Time on how to get the most out of Apple is a reminder that there is a noticeable difference psychologically between a brand that discounts (even if it’s only occasionally) and a discount brand. Apple does discount – but for selected parts of its range or for specific reasons: change-over on a model, for example. The most important thing is that they don’t give that impression. Apple’s approach is to treat price as a reliable indicator of value. By not overtly or uniformly discounting, they maintain the value of the brand by making products that excite customers and…

• Brand Advantage And The Reason For Buying

  Guest Author

  13 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  It’s tempting when your product all but parallels that of your competitors to be drawn into a meaningless war: a fight for market share that revolves around devaluing (looking to price the other guy out), trivial pursuit (nit-picking on features in a bid to show technical advantage) or overshadowing (spending up large in mainstream media in a bid to raise “awareness”). The problem with chasing competitive preference is that brands spend far too much time focusing on the competitive aspects and far too little insight on identifying where the preferences could lie. All three approaches…

• The Brand Strategy Event For A Changing World

  Derrick Daye

  7 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  Change is hard. That’s why the future can look so much like the past. And why brands and the marketers who manage them often lose their edge. For those marketers who see comfort zones as a dangerous place, we have designed a unique experience around brand strategy for you. One that challenges the thinking about brands and brand management. And one that breaks free from yesterday’s marketing conference format. The UnConference: 360 Degrees of Brand Strategy for a Changing World, Featuring John Sculley of Apple and Pepsi Success For two days next week, May 16 & 17 in San Diego,…

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  IttyBiz

• How To Set Goals Without Screwing It Up, Part 1

  Naomi Dunford

  21 May 2013 | 4:50 pm

  Those of you who have been following IttyBiz over the years probably know how much I winced typing the words “How to Set Goals.” Goals drive me crazy, because people tell you how they set goals and assume what worked for them will (naturally!) work for you. Well, it might work, but it probably won’t work for you as smoothly as they promise it will. Let’s think about any piece of advice out there on the “best” way to set goals, given by any well-meaning blogger, author or motivational speaker who’s dishing it out. As we think about what they’re telling…

• The Cereal Box (Or, How To Be The Smartest Person You Know)

  Naomi Dunford

  7 May 2013 | 5:14 pm

  A very long time ago – yes, even before the internet, if you were to allow yourself to believe that such a time existed – a certain author was asked what one book he would take with him if he were stranded on a desert island. Normally a question like that is designed to see how sophisticated the askee’s tastes are. Will he say the Bible? The Complete Works of Shakespeare? Great Expectations? What profundity awaits us today? In this case, the answer was a little more prosaic than that: “Thomas’ Guide to Practical Shipbuiding.” Indeed. Let’s start with a story. A little while back…

• How (Not?) To Choose Your Marketing Strategy

  Naomi Dunford

  5 May 2013 | 8:36 pm

  We get a lot of questions from clients asking whether or not they should hop on the bandwagon for some new marketing initiative that, by all rights, seems to be a Legitimately Big Thing. The question is essentially “Should I put all (or most of) my eggs in this basket? It seems to be extremely popular, and a lot of people say I’m missing out if I don’t get on this now.” The answer is – well, it’s what we always say. It depends. Why this choice is difficult in the first place. When something seems to be extremely popular right now, it’s really difficult to figure out whether it…

• Ask fewer questions. Get better answers.

  Naomi Dunford

  2 May 2013 | 10:35 am

  As we finish up the last two weeks of our Let’s Fix Your List class, we’ve received enough questions on the “What do I ask for on my opt-in / contact form?” front that now would be a good time to talk about that in a bit more detail. When someone signs up for your list, or fills out a contact form, quote form, or a “schedule a phone call” form, it’s natural to want as much information about them as you can get your hands on. However, it is not natural for them to want to give it to you. This is why you tend to hear marketing types tell you to ask for as little information as…

• SHOULD you jump? WILL the net appear?

  Naomi Dunford

  10 Apr 2013 | 11:19 pm

  Every now and again, you’ll hear the expression, “Jump, and the net will appear.” This is meant to mean that when you are in a situation where you want to make a big change and that big change involves a lot of (real or perceived) risk – such as jumping off a cliff – you should take the risk. While you cannot see a net now – and indeed, the net is not there now – it will “appear” when you take the jump. (Causality, while unstated, is implied.) For obvious reasons, some people have trouble with this advice. I was asked the other day by a person…

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  All You Need Is A Good Idea!

• Political ideas

  Jay H. Heyman

  23 May 2013 | 8:43 am

  English: photo of John Catsimatidis,  (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I have never met John Catsimatidis. I am not even sure I could pronounce his last name. But I do know he is striving to be a Republican candidate for New York City mayor. What has attracted me to his candidacy is his habit of suggesting new, often-off beat proposals in response to questions. At least that’s what they say in an article in the Wall Street Journal. They claim he is a unique character, in a field made up almost entirely of people who excel in the art of talking a lot without once suggesting any idea that might…

• What do you do after you innovate?

  Jay H. Heyman

  20 May 2013 | 7:34 am

  There is nothing like a good idea to build a brand. But after the innovation comes…? Yep, getting it done. As Cliff Oxford points out in the New York Times, “The biggest risk to your business is not that it will die because you stop innovating — it’s that it will die because you fail to rein in your innovating and start executing.” You know, the down and dirty things like packaging, selling, delivering and collecting the money. A stream of good ideas can be wonderfully effective, but not if you are too busy creating them to actually execute any. Or the creative process gets in the…

• Keep Calm

  Jay H. Heyman

  16 May 2013 | 7:41 am

  Seemingly from out of nowhere, we have been invaded b y the British. I am not referring to television shows or bone marrow on toast. Rather, or rawther, I mean the unceasing parade of various versions and parodies of “Keep Calm And Carry on.” Originally, as Wikipedia tells us, “Keep Calm and Carry On was a propaganda poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the aftermath of widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities.”Why has it suddenly become as invasive as the…

• Lip Service vs. Customer Service

  Jay H. Heyman

  13 May 2013 | 8:03 am

  Customer services (Photo credit: gordon2208) Edward H. Bastian, Delta Airline’s president, said in a recent interview, as reported in The New York Times: “People worried if the airlines were going to make it or if they were going to be bankrupt. Today, everybody has scale, customers have choices and people have seen that service matters.” It is the last two words of his quote that I find the most interesting. Ask most airline passengers about customer service, in today’s world of fewer airlines and less capacity, and they would giggle. And while the article further points out that…

• You Can't Keep Up.

  Jay H. Heyman

  9 May 2013 | 8:09 am

  Logo of google TV (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Below are some recent, though perhaps soon to be obsolete, products; actual, imaginary or anticipated. This is, of course, in addition to the latest updates for your current technological products, each usually tweaked just enough to require an intense learning new/forgetting old curve. 3D Printers Google Glasses Smart Watches WIFI Wedding Rings Bit Coins YouTube Subscriptions Vine Snarkle TV Since you are a creative type, or visiting the wrong blog, part of you is in awe of these good ideas. When you are finished wondering why you didn’t think of…

• 

  Starting Your Own Business with Successful Entrepreneur Erica Douglass

• How to Find the Perfect New Business Idea

  Erica

  8 May 2013 | 10:37 am

  Starting a new business, but stuck on finding the perfect idea? I hear you. In fact, you’re not alone. Recently, I asked people who opted-in for more information on my upcoming “Art of Email” course what they needed most in their businesses. Although many people said “Customers!”, several people asked how they would go about finding the perfect new business idea. Let’s talk about that. I know the phase you’re in when you’re stuck on the idea. You want to start a business. It pays better (maybe!), offers more flexible time by allowing you to set…

• The “Macklemore Effect”: How to Rocket to The Top of Any Industry–Even If You’re a Nobody Right Now

  Erica

  16 Apr 2013 | 1:35 pm

  Years ago, when I lived in Silicon Valley, there was a core group of about 50 people–the “cool kids”–who would make or break any social application that came about. Even though it often seemed, back in those days, that Twitter was down more often than it was up, the “cool kids” persisted in their use of it, and so it grew. Twitter’s founding team befriended and embraced the “cool kids” and success ensued. Twitter was successful on a small scale until 2009, when Oprah joined it and Ashton Kutcher became the first person to get 1 million…

• How to Build a Billion-Dollar Business

  Erica

  18 Mar 2013 | 2:14 pm

  There are lots of posts online about how to make your first dollar, or even how to grow a modest side business. But there’s precious little information on how to build a billion-dollar company. Before we get into the how, though, there’s something I want to address–and that’s why. Why would you want to build a billion-dollar business? Even if you have decided you don’t want to build a business that large, I encourage you to read this anyway…it may very well change your perspective on how large you want your business to be. Pushing Through the FUD…

• How I (Almost) Threw My Popular Blog in the Trash

  Erica

  7 Mar 2013 | 1:43 pm

  You may have noticed this is my first blog post in 2013. Despite this blog receiving over 1.2 million unique visitors last year, I almost gave up on it entirely. Here’s what happened…and the huge mistake I made (which probably isn’t what you think.) I’ve been wavering back and forth on what to do with erica.biz for a while. Unquestionably, writing this blog has had a huge influence on my life. It’s allowed me to meet movers and shakers in the tech industry and beyond, connect with people who would normally be hard to reach, and it’s even made me some money.

• Are You an Entrepreneur–Or a “Wantrepreneur”? Find Out…

  Erica

  20 Dec 2012 | 3:37 pm

  There are a lot of people running around these days calling themselves “entrepreneurs”. However, I’ve discovered a few fool-proof ways to quickly see the differences between successful entrepreneurs and wantrepreneurs–or people who want to start a business, but who actually aren’t going to take action and create a real business. Here are five traits I’ve noticed in startup founders and entrepreneurs that don’t exist in “wantrepreneurs”: 1. A willingness to learn anything. I hear this all the time: “If only I had a…

• 

  Up and Running

• Must-have market intelligence for your product launch

  Mike Quill

  22 May 2013 | 8:01 am

  We’ve all heard the horror stories about how hard it can be to successfully launch a new product to the market. In a consumer product category such as household cleaning products, the industry success rate is a dismal 15 percent to 20 percent according to a Bloomberg Businessweek interview with former Proctor & Gamble CEO, Alan “A.G.” Lafley. According to a study by global consulting firm Accenture, Times are hard when it comes to new-product development. Half the companies in our survey experience budget overruns in new-product development. Forty-two percent of the companies…

• How to make sure your bar doesn’t end up on “Bar Rescue”

  Todd Edman

  21 May 2013 | 10:51 am

  If you’re in the bar business, you’ve probably seen an episode of “Bar Rescue.” Nothing better than Spike TV at 2 a.m. and seeing John Taffer confront a guilty bar staff. It makes for good TV, but let’s be honest: if you have to yell at your bar staff every week to get them to perform, you probably need a new staff. So how do you create long-term accountability behind the bar? How do get your bartenders to do an even pour each time? How do you make sure that your signature drinks are made exactly the same way so that you create that consistent customer…

• Speaking for Leads

  Cidnee Stephen

  20 May 2013 | 8:04 am

  I love to write – creatively as well as for business. So last year I decided to take a course at a nearby college to learn how to hone this skill. I learned a very valuable lesson that really should be the golden rule for your marketing. It’s always better to SHOW your audience than TELL them. Speaking is a great way to do this, especially for those of you in service-based businesses. Here are just a few of the key advantages of integrating this into your marketing: You have the opportunity to educate your target market in your area of expertise. By demonstrating your expertise, you…

• Friday roundup: Amy’s Baking Company, rising small business optimism, creative business people

  Tyree Harris

  17 May 2013 | 5:04 am

  Don’t get so wrapped up in work that you forget to stay up with the current events of the business world! Amid all of the chaos, grab a cup of Joe and take a short reading break. 1. If you haven’t heard about the Amy’s Baking Company fiasco, please look into it. It’s probably the most hilarious and frightening online meltdown in business history. After appearing on an episode of “Kitchen Nightmares,” where they were so awful Gordon Ramsay fired them, The couple received a lot of flak on their Facebook page. Instead of just accepting it and moving on, they…

• How do I generate buzz for a website launch?

  Will Stevens

  16 May 2013 | 8:56 am

  Taking the time to design and build a website that reflects your company’s values is vital if you’re looking to bring to market a new product or service; but if people don’t know about your site then that investment is effectively wasted. Here are the steps you need to take to ensure you clock up hits from day one. Pre-launch planning This covers pretty much everything from selecting the right domain name, to design and content; it’s one of the most vital parts of the process. With so many domains already registered, you’re likely to have to compromise when it…

• 

  SiliconBeat

• News flash: People upset with Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer — this time it’s photographers

  Levi Sumagaysay

  23 May 2013 | 10:23 am

  Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer certainly has people paying attention: moms, telecommuters, Tumblr-heads and the rest of the tech world, of course. Now, professional photographers. “Today, with cameras...

• Yahoo buys another startup, hires another new exec

  Brandon Bailey

  23 May 2013 | 9:58 am

  It’s not as big as Tumblr, at least not in value, but Yahoo has snapped up yet another small tech company – PlayerScale, a Belmont startup that makes software infrastructure for mobile games....

• HP’s earnings draw mixed reaction from analysts

  Steve Johnson

  23 May 2013 | 9:44 am

  Wall Street on Thursday seemed conflicted about Hewlett-Packard, following the Palo Alto company’s earnings report yesterday, which beat analysts expectations but showed a continued decline in...

• Tesla Motors: From “loser” to Big Winner

  Dana Hull

  23 May 2013 | 9:02 am

  In a presidential debate last fall, Republican candidate Mitt Romney famously called Tesla Motors (and other clean energy companies that got federal loans) a “loser.” Sarah Palin lumped...

• Quoted: on the evolution and appeal of bitcoins

  Levi Sumagaysay

  23 May 2013 | 7:26 am

  “The libertarians’ zeal took Bitcoin from nothing to something, and then you had people that were attracted by the anonymous nature, who mostly use it for [illegal] online gambling. But...

• 

  BizSugar / Published News

• The Heavyweight Guide to Creating Powerful Marketing Copy

  Kimberly721

  23 May 2013 | 2:42 pm

  Many small business owners don't know where to start when it comes time to create their own powerful marketing copy. This guide gives steps and tips to get you started.16 Vote(s)

• 3 Tax Questions You Must Ask Before Buying Rental Property

  MMarquit

  23 May 2013 | 2:42 pm

  What easier way to bring in income than with rental property, right? Don't let that rental income turn into a tax nightmare. Here's how to avoid the mess.16 Vote(s)

• Is SEO Really Changing? How will it Affect Your Business?

  websuccessteam

  23 May 2013 | 1:48 pm

  Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, used to be very simple. All you needed to do is make sure that your site would come up on top when people looked for specific keywords. Because Google ranks popular sites first, the early methods involved adding links on other sites, comments, blogs and forums, i18 Vote(s)

• Google+ and Google Search Highlights from Google IO13

  mallton

  23 May 2013 | 1:05 pm

  Google held their developers conference this week and during the keynote address, some amazing new features and developments were announced, specifically improvements to Google+ and Google Search.27 Vote(s)

• 10 Steps for Effective Employee Coaching

  bigmoneyweb

  23 May 2013 | 12:52 pm

  Employee coaching is a great way for managers to encourage their workers to motivate themselves. Rather than telling employees what to do, an effective coach will raise their confidence, offer guidance and allow them to achieve goals on their own. If you can train employees to do the best job they 26 Vote(s)

• 

  YoungEntrepreneur.com

• The Habits of Self-Made Billionaires (Infographic)

  Catherine Clifford

  23 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  Of the 100 richest people in the world today, a number have no college degree and were born into humble households, or without a family at all. Here is a look at what these underdog entrepreneurs have in common.

• Web Startup Helps Business Owners Manage Employees

  Marty Jerome

  23 May 2013 | 11:00 am

  PayrollHero streamlines the business of tracking employee schedules, for both management and workers, all in the cloud.

• Do We Really Need an Alternative Form of Capitalism?

  Martin Zwilling

  23 May 2013 | 9:00 am

  While not a love story, capitalism is certainly epic.

• Pack’s Megan Casey on the Future of Social Media

  Antonio Neves

  23 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Between co-founding Squidoo with Seth Godin, and more recently launching Pack, a social networking site for dog owners, Megan Casey is well-versed in the art of social media. She opens up to YE’s Antonio Neves about where she thinks the industry is going and why.

• How to Become a Technical Co-Founder on the Quick

  Andrea Huspeni

  23 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  Getting a four-year computer science degree is so yesterday. Check out our list of intensive programs that will turn you into a developer in under twelve weeks.

• 

  Big Marketing for Small Business

• Affina Hotels Celebrates Small Business Week with Amex Gift Offer

  Rajan Sodhi

  22 May 2013 | 3:50 pm

  National Small Business Week is coming up June 17-21, and Affinia Hotels is showing support for small businesses with a $100 American Express gift card for guests who sign up for the Business Perks program during that week. The gift card will be given out to each new member when they check in for their first two-night stay at one of the boutique hotel collection’s six hotels (five in New York City and one in Washington, D.C). The Business Perks Program makes it easier for small companies to take their business on the road with a commitment of only 25 nights per year, and features: 10% off…

• How to Share Your Competitive Advantage Through Social Media

  Kevin Gaertner

  17 May 2013 | 12:59 pm

  Being in charge of a small business means constantly competing against the big guys. Providing something unique and valuable to consumers is the reason most of us started a business in the first place, and positively differentiating yourself from larger, more established competitors can really help you gain a competitive advantage. As a smart business owner, you need to keep your competitive advantage in mind constantly; it should be ingrained in your strategy, and evident on all fronts. This holds especially true when it comes to marketing online, since that’s where much of our focus…

• How a Small Business Can Find Love on Yelp

  Tina Hamilton

  22 Apr 2013 | 11:26 am

  Yelp’s influence is undeniable. By the end of 2012, Yelpers had written more than 36 million business reviews, making the social network platform the the leading local guide for online word-of-mouth. Michael Zammuto, president of ReputationChanger.com, says the power and influence of online review sites are directly linked to a business’ revenues. “Studies have revealed that an enterprise’s score on Yelp or on TripAdvisor is directly related to its profits,” he affirms. “For example, a Harvard study found that a single star on Yelp.com translates to somewhere between 5 and 10…

• How to Perform Easy A/B Tests of Your Landing Pages

  Rajan Sodhi

  20 Apr 2013 | 6:00 pm

  Anyone actively spending their advertising budget on digital marketing can tell you how important it is to continuously optimize your landing pages to deliver more qualified leads and sales. Testing creative ad copy in your Google search engine advertising (PPC) helps to improve your visitor clickthru rate, but if your page doesn’t convert that visitor into a lead once they reach there, you’ve just spent valuable ad dollars for nothing. Google search engine advertising is a direct response form of advertising–you’re reaching a potential customer at the moment they are very…

• Your Brand Power Starts With One

  Rajan Sodhi

  12 Apr 2013 | 11:36 am

  Ask yourself this one question: “What does your brand stand for?” If you’re unsure, don’t expect your audience to spend the time figuring it out for you. Your brand must stand for something or it stands for nothing—or risks just being mediocre and who wants to stand for that? BMW is known for high performance, Mercedes is known for luxury, and Volvo is known for safety. Not to say that any of these car brands don’t offer comparable performance, luxury or safety but each can only be known for one thing to make their brand truly meaningful to consumers.

• 

  Small business news - CNNMoney.com

• Who's the killer employee under Obamacare? No. 50 or 51?

  23 May 2013 | 7:23 am

  The Obamacare employer mandate forces businesses with 50-plus workers to provide insurance. But many keep getting that cutoff number wrong, saying it's 51.

• New startups are prime targets for cyberattacks

  23 May 2013 | 5:08 am

  By the time a startup is five months old, it's already been the target of hundreds of spam messages.

• The Obamacare myth about small business

  22 May 2013 | 1:18 pm

  Read full story for latest details.

• Nobody puts baby food in a corner

  22 May 2013 | 5:58 am

  Read full story for latest details.

• Women are breaking through the 'concrete ceiling'

  22 May 2013 | 5:57 am

  Read full story for latest details.

• 

  Chief Home Officer Home Office, Home-Based Business, Remote Work, Telework & Cloud Computing

• Home Office Road Warrior: From Tech-Laden to Efficiently Spartan

  Jeff Zbar

  14 May 2013 | 6:13 am

  In this image, I’m wading through all the technology I took on a Home Office Highway road trip a few years ago. I had converters, adapters, connectors, cables, a laptop cable lock, a Belkin mini power strip / surge suppressor, a flash drive (several, actually), headphones, a Bluetooth headset, a Verizon USB 3G connection device, a tablet, a laptop, even a portable laptop desk – all efficiently and functionally packed into my trusty (if overstuffed) Oakley backpack. By my count, I had upward of 20 individual pieces of tech in there. That didn’t include my Nikon DSLR (and…

• Soundfreaq Sound Rise Brings Full Featured Sound & Good Looks to the Home Office

  Jeff Zbar

  10 May 2013 | 7:10 pm

  Sound. Under-rated, under-appreciated and under-utilized in the home office, our senses are sadly deprived when it’s missing. Yet applied well, it can bring audiophilia bliss to the home-based workplace. “Bliss” doesn’t have to translate to some overbearing boombox or the weak speakers doing an disservice as they bring forth the PC’s iTunes. Enter Soundfreaq Sound Rise ($99). This alarm clock is a feature-rich AM/FM radio and sound dock that brings robust sound to the home office or corporate cube. So feature rich is this clock radio that you’ll feel like you’re disrespecting…

• Intrepid Prosumers – and Weekend Travelers – Benefit From Gear-Rich Gadget Vest

  Jeff Zbar

  9 May 2013 | 6:57 pm

  Intrepid photographers and travelers from days past donned a few time-worn and field-tested pieces of apparel to become masters of their environs. Cargo or rip-stop pants sported ample pocket space for wallet or ID, note pad, pen – and a home for trail gorp and specimens and stuff gathered along the way. Pocket-rich vests were ideal for lenses, flashes, batteries and a roll of film – or 10. Today, camera gear – in most cases reduced to a digital SLR with a single zoom lens and built in flash – has been replaced by tech, and lots of it. Tablets, Bluetooth earpieces, MP3…

• Bringing Noteworthy Tunes to the Home – and Home Office

  Jeff Zbar

  28 Apr 2013 | 10:55 pm

  In my home and home office, I can’t get enough music in two places: The bedroom and the bathroom. Some may say those two destinations are better suited to other purposes – though some may be mistaken. Two new products on the market serve to highlight how the right infusion of music – when done well and deliberately – can change the audio dynamics and very character of a space. One device is the Soundfreaq Sound Rise ($99; Soundfreaq.com). Ostensibly an alarm clock, that moniker does this device no justice. With a 2.1 speaker configuration that sound across the bedroom or home office,…

• Home Business / Home Office Rites of Passage

  Jeff Zbar

  24 Apr 2013 | 9:49 am

  Twenty-four years spent working from home, and today I had my first batch of Ramen noodles. Along the way, I’ve hit a few other milestones and had a few epiphanies. For you teleworkers out there, these may not apply – especially if you work for Yahoo! But here are 11 that come to mind. Have any to add? Reply to share your experiences or realizations. - Ramen Noodles for lunch (not because they’re cheap, but because they’re easy. As Pumba said, “Slimy, yet satisfying…’) - A kid crying in the background during a client call - A dog barking during a conference call…

• 

  Small Biz Daily

• Features You Need For Streaming Business Video

  Maria Valdez Haubrich

  23 May 2013 | 12:01 pm

  By Laura Russell, Kzoinnovations.com When your company or team is looking for the best option to produce and share key business videos that aid in overall business results and efficiency, a robust streaming video platformis a must. Video and web technology continues to advance at lightning pace and that makes the need to identify the right service provider as important as what service is currently offered. Teaming with the right partner for your business collaboration needs will give you the opportunity to take advantage of new features and options as they are made available. The Latest…

• Alternative Lending: Could It Make You More Profitable In 2013?

  Karen Axelton

  23 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  By Cheryl Conner In the not-so-distant past, the landscape for alternative lending was a territory fraught with predatory lenders relieving entrepreneurs of their precious capital at annualized rates as high as 70-90%. Today, however, the cash advance and the invoice factoring sectors are increasing in both prevalence and popularity, with business growing in both sectors at double digit levels each year. The safeguards are increasing as the market for these innovative lending sources continues to grow. Even the “loan shark” reputation is decreasing as mainstream organizations such as…

• Win $10,000 to Upgrade Your Business

  Karen Axelton

  22 May 2013 | 12:01 pm

  Could you use $10,000 to improve your retail business? Point-of-sale system provider Harbortouch is offering a $10,000 prize  to the retailer who submits the best video on how the prize money would help his or her business grow. “The economy is improving but a lot of merchants are still struggling,” says Nate Hirshberg, Harbortouch marketing manager. “This is what we came up with to help out with some extra capital.” The Harbortouch Business Upgrade Contest begins today. To enter, simply post a video on YouTube explaining why your company needs an upgrade (be creative!). Then…

• How Women Can Get on Corporate Boards

  Maria Valdez Haubrich

  22 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  By Jane Applegate The corporate board is still very much a men’s club, according to Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, author of The Board Game: How Smart Women Become Corporate Directors (Angel City Press, $25). I recently talked to Betsy about her well-researched and interesting book, which features stories about 58 female directors—plus advice and strategies for how you can land a seat on a corporate board. JA: What inspired you to write this book aimed specifically at women when there are other books out there on how to land a seat on a corporate board? BBC: As the owner of a retained…

• Donate Today to Victims of Oklahoma Tornado

  Maria Valdez Haubrich

  21 May 2013 | 12:01 pm

  By now you have heard the news of the devastation caused by the tornado in Moore, OK. The stats are history in the making: a rating of at least an EF4, winds 166 to 200 mph, an estimation of size to be at least two miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore. And while these stats are mind shattering, it’s the stories that are most heart breaking. 38,000 people without power. Vine videos from @GeminiTiger86 right in the midst of devastation. Highways completely shut down. An elementary school full of children demolished. HopeMob’s initial plan to help is simple. They’ve…

• 

  Lip-Sticking

• Want Comfortable Shoes That Cost Less Than A Week’s Worth of Coffee?

  Scarlett De Bease

  21 May 2013 | 5:44 am

  Go here  to see what I have in my red bag of style tips for you. You won’t believe the incredibly affordable and comfortable shoes I have discovered. Between you and me, I didn’t think it was possible to find comfortable shoes at an affordable price. I was wrong. So exactly what is it I do for my cleints? Here is where you can find out. Go here to get my FREE  Guide: 5 Style Tips To Look Younger, Thinner and Taller. © Scarlett De Bease & Scarlett Image, All Rights Reserved

• What a Wet Burrito Taught Me About Life

  Laura Smith

  17 May 2013 | 5:03 am

  by Laura Smith, Chief Groovy Chick, The Breakup Lounge I'm sure you're wondering ~ what the heck is Laura thinking?  A wet burrito? Really?  Yet, you are also perhaps intrigued by the aforementioned wet burrito so let me tell you a story. As some of you may know, I like to get out in the local community and connect with others.  One of the ways that I do this is having an exhibitor's booth at community events.  I did just that on July 26.  To set the stage, this is an outdoor event called MarketFest.  It runs from 6 to 9 p.m.  The night began gloriously.  Not a cloud in the…

• Try ShortStack App to run your Sweepstakes and Contests on Facebook

  Donna DeClemente

  15 May 2013 | 1:31 pm

  By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk Some of the most successful ways to grow your Facebook fan base and gain insights on your customers is by running sweepstakes and contests promotions. Contests are considered the heart of social promotions today since they are a great way to create buzz, awareness and engage followers and fans. In order to run a promotion on Facebook though, you must follow Facebook’s Promotional Guidelines and run it through an application and not directly on your Facebook page. We have been working with a few preferred Facebook application partners…

• Stop The Makeover Madness!

  Scarlett De Bease

  14 May 2013 | 8:06 am

  There are so many wardrobe styling and fashion experts on TV telling you, complete strangers, what to wear that you don’t really need my advice anymore. Or, do you? Do you know that when the wardrobe styling personalities on TV make their recommendations as to what the must haves are for the season, they typically are representing the stores that carry the merchandise they are plugging? Their job is to stimulate sales and not to make sure that you are wearing clothes which show off your best features, and hide the ones you like the least. Just think back to whenever you might have seen…

• The Pain of Remaining the Same

  Laura Smith

  10 May 2013 | 6:36 am

  by Laura Smith, Chief Groovy Chick, The Breakup Lounge One of my favorite quotes is from Anais Nin.  It's about pain and the beauty held within it.   “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” You might be saying to yourself, "What? Beauty in pain? Have you lost your marbles, Laura?" I don't blame you for thinking this way. I would have thought like this too ~ until I lived this quote. You see, I was in an unhappy marriage. If I'm honest, I had been unhappy for years. In fact, for the majority of years. However, I…

• 

  OnStartups

• 14 Revealing Signs You Love Your Startup Job

  Dharmesh Shah

  23 May 2013 | 12:27 pm

  You may not be frequently giving out an embarrassingly gushing smile and you might not write little love notes during your lunch break. But, there are ways to tell if you love your job. Of course, no job is perfect -- even the best of relationships have their down days. We all have to do things we don’t like. I love working at HubSpot, it's the best job I've ever had (but, that's by design). But, even I have “off” days where I'm not spending all my time doing things I absolutely love. So all of the following may not be the case all of the time.  But when you love your…

• The Why and How Of Updating Your Angel Investors

  Dharmesh Shah

  20 May 2013 | 7:02 am

  There’s a massive amount available on the interwebs on how to improve the odds for success in new ventures. But almost nothing concrete is available on the care and feeding of your investors. You can do all of the Lean Startup experimentation you want, but we’re here to tell you that one of the the easiest and most underrated skills that a startup CEO needs is knowing how to keep your investors updated, excited and engaged. The reason is:  The CEO is the investor's  user interface into the business.  It's how investors see what's going on, and in some minimal ways, interact…

• Startup PR Tip: To Get Press, Don't Pitch Your Product

  Dharmesh Shah

  16 May 2013 | 6:47 am

  Entrepreneurs that are looking to get attention from bloggers and journalists will often pitch their businesses themselves or though a PR agency. It's sad that most of those pitches fall flat and are likely to be completely ignored. A waste of time and money for everyone. For example, here’s a pitch from a PR professional. I’ve changed it slightly to avoid embarrassing anyone: “I’m working with a wonderful new business… The owners grew up together and decided to go into business… it’s a story I’m sure your readers will care a lot about!” Uh, no. It's unlikely that…

• The Pitch Deck We Used To Raise $500,000 For Our Startup

  Dharmesh Shah

  8 May 2013 | 11:04 am

  One of the big no-no’s we’ve learnt about early on in Silicon Valley is to publicly share the pitchdeck you’ve used to raise money. At least, not before you’ve been acquired or failed or in any other way been removed from stage. That’s a real shame, we thought. Sharing the actual slidedeck we used (and one, that’s not 10 years old) is by far one of the most useful things for others to learn from. In fact, both Joel and I have privately shared the deck with fledging founders to help them with their fundraising. On top of that, our case study is hopefully uniquely insightful…

• 5 Startup Hiring Mistakes That Can Crush Your Culture

  Dharmesh Shah

  29 Apr 2013 | 11:44 am

  Remember your first business loan? Or, if you're like many entrepreneurs, you may have initially bootstrapped your startup by buying some stuff on your credit card. You were excited and apprehensive: Excited because now you had the cash to invest in your business, apprehensive because you had just taken on a debt you would have to repay. But that was okay, because you were confident you could create more value than the interest you would pay. Even though you eventually have to pay off a financial debt, gaining access to the right resources now often marks the difference…

• 

  Content Marketing Institute

• Optimize Your Content Marketing Strategy with 8 Keyword Tracking Tips

  Mike Murray

  23 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Reliability is not a word you would normally associate with keyword phrase rankings on search engines. On any given day, they seem to vary from city to city and computer to computer. It would be easy to shrug our shoulders and dismiss them as annoying gremlins that mysteriously move from one spot to the next. But the reality is that rankings are based on sophisticated — and often proprietary technologies — and will therefore vary among the search engine results pages (SERPs) of different search tools. Geography (influenced by IP addresses) and personalization (including anonymous cookies…

• How Your Content Strategy Thrives When Marketing and IT Work Together

  Carla Johnson

  22 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Eduardo Conrado has proven himself to be a nonconformist. An engineer-turned-marketer, Conrado not only oversees marketing for Motorola Solutions, but also recently added IT to his management portfolio. Throughout his 20-year career with the company, he’s underscored his ability to lead through innovation and establish new expectations for the realm of marketing. With the recent expansion of his role at Motorola, Conrado accepted an opportunity to speak to Chief Content Officer magazine (a publication from CMI) about the reasons marketers must work comfortably across multiple…

• Power Your Business Storytelling by Creating a Content Brand

  Andrew Davis

  21 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Treating your content like a product There’s a big difference between creating branded content and building a content brand. Branded content is egocentric brand marketing. Developing a content brand takes an audience-first approach to business storytelling that builds a loyal audience. Deloitte Debates is branded content (notice how the brand is in the title of the content). Will it Blend? is a content brand (see how there’s no mention of the Blendtec brand in the title?). The most successful business storytellers build content brands — not branded content. Instead of thinking…

• 3 Ways Your Content Marketing Strategy Can Use Big Data

  Amanda Maksymiw

  20 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  To date, the term “Big Data” garners about 1.64 billion search results, and counting. The data scientist has been called the sexiest job of the 21st century. Big Data has been described by McKinsey and Company as the next $100 billion dollar opportunity. So, what is it, exactly? Big Data is the massive amounts of data that are being created every minute.  Let’s think about the amount of data that is created on social media channels alone. According to an infographic from Domo, every minute 100,000 tweets are sent, 347 new blogs are posted on WordPress, 48 hours of video are…

• Treat Content Publishing as a Privilege by Sharing the Awesome

  Tom Fishburne

  19 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Nowadays, any brand can become a content publisher, but we sometimes forget to treat content publishing as a privilege. Just because we have a soapbox, doesn’t mean there will be an audience to listen to us. As marketers we are traditionally trained to repeat our single-minded proposition until consumers buy whatever it is that we’re marketing. In an effort to get our features and benefits across, we often lose sight of what’s actually valuable to our audience. Great content marketing turns a mirror on the audience. That’s why earlier this year we created a cartoon…

• 

  jillkonrath.com

• [Video] 3 Doable Strategies to Increase Sales Productivity

  22 May 2013 | 4:30 am

  If you're like everyone else these days, you're overwhelmed with way too much to do and not nearly enough time to get it done. One of our biggest problems though is something we can control. Being online much of the day isn't good for us. We bounce from task to task. We take emails when they come in. We make calls, visit websites, read articles, and do email again. And, sometimes we even get sucked into doing other things -- perhaps like even watching this video right now. If you want to increase sales productivity and get much more done, here are a couple strategies to improve time…

• How to Get 58% of Your Revenue Via LinkedIn Groups

  20 May 2013 | 9:55 am

  In today's article, Thomas von Ahn, founder of Viral Solutions, Inc. shares the LinkedIn strategies he and his partner (Christine Kelly) use to generate the majority of their business. They use LinkedIn Groups to consistently generate high quality leads from people who already view them as credible resources. In fact, in our 2013 Sales & LinkedIn Survey, we discovered that 50.7% of top sellers belonged to 30+ groups compared to only 11.5% of their counterparts. And take a look at their group activity. As you can see, top sellers are nearly twice as active in LinkedIn groups than everyone…

• [Video] The Ultimate Sales Pitch

  15 May 2013 | 4:30 am

  What makes a good sales pitch? If you're selling to the corporate market, let me be frank with you. Nothing in the whole wide world makes a good sales pitch. Corporate decision makers despise pitches. Everyone who meets with them spouts out platitudes about how wonderful their companies are, how incredible their technology is or how passionate they are about customer service. Or, they babble on and on about their unique methodology and amazing credentials. When you have the opportunity to meet with a corporate decision maker, remember that a pitch is like the plague. They'll run from you as…

• Top Seller LinkedIn Strategy: Monitor Customer Job Changes

  10 May 2013 | 11:41 am

  In Cracking the LinkedIn Sales Code, which highlights the results of our 2013 Sales & LinkedIn survey, we discovered that top sellers had significantly more LinkedIn connections with their customers than everyone else.  That's a huge difference. And here’s an even starker contrast. If you look at the 55% of survey respondents who never generated an opportunity via LinkedIn, they’re only connected to 9.8% of their customers. Mmmm. Do you think being connected to customers might matter? One LinkedIn strategy that top sellers use is getting alerts when a customer or prospect…

• [VIDEO] 5 Ways to Build Your LinkedIn Personal Brand With SlideShare

  8 May 2013 | 4:15 am

  If you haven’t used SlideShare on your LinkedIn profile yet, you’re missing a real opportunity to upgrade your online personal brand. What’s SlideShare? It’s a program that let’s you share PDF files, PowerPoint presentations and even videos with others.   This turns your flat LinkedIn profile into a multi-media bonanza of great information that can showcase your company or personal expertise and value. Your prospects are checking you out online and you want to have the best possible LinkedIn personal brand.   Here are 5 ways to build your LinkedIn profile using…

• 

  B2B Lead Blog

• Digital Marketing: How to craft a value proposition in 5 simple steps

  info@meclabs.com

  20 May 2013 | 11:44 am

  TweetThis week, I’ve joined marketers from around the world in Athens Americana – Boston, Mass. for MarketingSherpa and MarketingExperiments Optimization Summit 2013. After a short (and rather scenic) water taxi ride from the airport, I’ve settled into one of the Value Proposition Development Course sessions being led by Austin McCraw, Senior Editorial Analyst, MECLABS, as he teaches marketers how to craft and express value propositions. “I want to take the theory that we have put in place so far, and bring it down to a ground floor level of application,” Austin said. So, today’s…

• Digital Marketing: B2B marketers can get fresh, new ideas from B2C

  info@meclabs.com

  13 May 2013 | 12:01 am

  TweetRegardless of whether you’re selling to people who are purchasing something for their workplace or themselves, you’re still selling to people – especially when it comes to digital marketing. Consider the words of Shawn Burns, Global Vice President of Digital Marketing, SAP: “The B2B space has the same opportunities as the B2C space when it comes to digital marketing. We’re dealing with people, and all people behave the same. They use search, they use social and they visit websites when they’re considering a purchase. This means everything that works for consumer marketers…

• Social Media Marketing: Dell reveals how it turns thousands of brand detractors into fans

  info@meclabs.com

  6 May 2013 | 12:01 am

  TweetFive years ago, Dell had little presence on social media. That changed when the computer company realized 4,000 conversations about the brand were happening online every single day and the company was not present. Since then, Dell has invested millions of dollars’ worth of time and resources to join those conversations. In fact, one in 12 of Dell’s more than 105,000 employees have attended its Social Media & Community University, which encompasses up to 12 hours of training on how to best represent Dell online. In addition, Social Outreach Services, a team representing 14…

• Referral Marketing: 8 tips for building a powerful referral channel

  info@meclabs.com

  29 Apr 2013 | 12:01 am

  TweetProspects that come to your organization because of peer recommendations are two and a half times more responsive than any other marketing channel, according to a study by the American Marketing Association. A member of our B2B Lead Roundtable Group underscored this statistic when she noted recommendations are how one of her clients earns most of its customers. It’s no wonder she wanted to find the best way to formalize her client’s referral process. I brought her question to three referral marketing experts: Angela Bandlow, Vice President of Marketing, Extole, an advocacy management…

• Email Marketing: 4 steps to relevancy 85% of B2B businesses probably aren’t taking

  info@meclabs.com

  22 Apr 2013 | 12:01 am

  TweetEmail marketing is a mature marketing tactic, yet I don’t believe B2B organizations are capitalizing on its potential to generate leads. I realized this when I read MarketingSherpa’s just-released 2013 Email Marketing Benchmark Report. They surveyed 594 B2B and B2G marketers, of which just about half send out 10,000 to 10 million emails every month. The top priority for the entire group is to deliver highly relevant emails – it ranks above even driving website traffic and revenue. This makes sense, considering highly relevant email will achieve the other two goals. But, I wonder…

• 

  About.com Entrepreneurs

• Marketing Tips for Micro Budgets

  23 May 2013 | 4:49 am

  A lot of people make the mistake of thinking marketing is only to be done when you have a little extra money to burn. Not at all -- you can't get customers without getting the word out about your products or services, and if you don't have cash, there's still plenty you can do....Read Full Post

• Could Tumblr Work for Your Business?

  22 May 2013 | 10:21 am

  Tumblr a good marketing vehicle for your business? Until recently, I was rather skeptical myself. But I've gone to a few presentations and gotten to see the unstoppable power of the burgeoning social network/blogging platform up close and my feelings have changed a bit....Read Full Post

• Developing More Social Media Influence Through Great Content

  18 May 2013 | 8:37 am

  OK, are you ready to craft a content strategy to help grow your business? I have great news for you! We've got you covered with the second part of our two-part series on social media influence. ...Read Full Post

• When it Comes to Social Media Marketing, is Content Really King?

  18 May 2013 | 7:37 am

  One thing I've learned from years in the social media trenches is that there's a big persistent myth that hangs a lot of people up. That myth is great content, in and of itself, will cause users to flock to your offering....Read Full Post

• How are You Using Social Media to Market Your Business?

  12 May 2013 | 11:47 am

  I can't say that I always believed in the power of social media marketing. In the beginning, I wondered, can Facebook really support business goals? My trial by fire came when I was working on a marketing campaign for the British Tourist Board. Back in 2008, I was assigned by my boss to become "social media champion," that is, the person who helped the rest of the organization adopt and use emerging social media networks. ...Read Full Post

• 

  HomeBiz Resource

• Great Content Helps Improve SEO

  GOBs972

  19 May 2013 | 1:01 am

  You’ve probably heard it before- content is king, but what the heck does that mean anyway? Well, in simple terms, your content is the most vital part of your website. Think about it- without content, there would be no actual website. Far too often people focus on what the search bots will think of their site and they forget to just create great content. So what kind of content should be worrying about here? Articles Blogs Website page text Images and pictures Podcasts Videos Any other media you share on your site As you can see, content includes more than just writing on the site, although…

• How Does Social Linking Impact You?

  GOBs972

  18 May 2013 | 12:45 am

  The search engines are smarter than they once were. The algorithms that give them this faux intelligence determine what things are going to be influential for ranking websites, and it turns out that social media links are actually quite important. If you have a business, a site, or a blog that needs more exposure, you will find that social linking is going to play a huge role when it comes to your web page SERP ranking and natural traffic. Knowing that social links are important is the first step. Knowing how to use them to your advantage is going to help your site’s ranking. What Does…

• 5 Wrong SEO Strategies That Will Never Give Your Website A Boost

  myblogguest

  13 May 2013 | 5:31 am

  SEO is important and you might not have a problem agreeing with this statement. Optimizing your website for the search engines is as important as keeping your business alive. It is essential for the survival of your website. But, there are some SEO strategies that will not give your website any advantage. As a result, you’ll only damage your website ranking if you apply these wrong strategies consistently. Here are 5 wrong SEO strategies that will never give your website a boost in ranking: 1. Focusing Only On Link Building Many people are focusing only on link building in their SEO…

• 5 Steps To Successfully Make Your Video Viral On YouTube

  myblogguest

  10 May 2013 | 1:33 am

  One of the most effective ways to bring more traffic to your website is by creating a viral video and publish it on YouTube. However, many people are doing that without getting any satisfying result. That’s because they don’t know the principles that will make their video viral. If you want to attract more traffic to your website by creating a viral video, here are 5 steps to successfully make your video viral on YouTube: 1. Learn From Successful Videos Before you create any viral video, you have to look for some successful videos on YouTube. Those videos have millions of views, and they…

• Knowledge Graph And SEO – How Do They Connect?

  myblogguest

  28 Apr 2013 | 10:08 pm

  Google announced the advent of kKnowledge graph around 8-9 months ago, according to Google it was done to improve and enhance their efforts in providing a semantic based web-search which according to many people, was impossible to think of in the beginning. But Google made it possible, and semantic web search is now a reality and we have to learn to deal with it. In order to gain benefit out of Knowledge graph, you must first properly understand what Knowledge graph is, as this may be a new concept for even experienced SEO professionals. You can consider the Knowledge graph to be a depository…

• 

  Small Business Conversations on the Network Solutions Blog

• Update for Network Solutions Customers Using WordPress

  Customer Service

  23 May 2013 | 9:57 am

  UPDATE: WordPress users can now log in to their control panels. Thank you for your patience. ——– Customers using WordPress are temporarily unable to log in to their WordPress admin pages. We ask for your patience as we work to restore full functionality to your account. Once you are able to access your admin panel, [...]

• What Is Recurring Billing, and How Can It Help My Online Store?

  Aaron Eversgerd

  2 May 2013 | 10:39 am

  Recurring Billing is a new, flexible payment option that can be used to sell products that need more than just a one-time charge. This can be especially useful for expensive items and “product of the month” clubs. It’s also an essential tool for generating online revenue for businesses and organizations that don’t have a product. [...]

• Update for Network Solutions Customers

  Customer Service

  12 Apr 2013 | 6:44 am

  Over the last day, many Network Solutions customers reported issues with their hosting sites. These issues included pages that loaded slowly or sites that didn’t resolve at all. These issues were the result of a significant, global attack affecting WordPress sites across the Internet. The attackers are attempting to break into WordPress websites by continually trying to guess the [...]

• 

  Stories Above New York

• W 66th Street, Lincoln Center Theater

  Stewart Mader

  22 May 2013 | 2:01 pm

  Photographed from the President’s Bridge.

• 40 Wall Street, 70 Pine Street

  Stewart Mader

  20 May 2013 | 8:50 am

  Photographed from the penthouse of 70 Little West Street (The Visionaire).

• New York Rooftop Bars

  Stewart Mader

  16 May 2013 | 9:49 am

  Seeing – and photographing – New York from stories above is a great way to take in the grandeur and magnanimity of the city. I’ve updated my list of New York rooftop bars, restaurants, and cafés in time for summer, when the largest number of open-air venues are open (several have retractable roofs and are open year-round as well). This list is also available in Foursquare. 230 Fifth 20 stories above 230 5th Avenue 212-725-4300 230-fifth.com Alma Restaurant 3 stories above 187 Columbia Street 718-643-5400 almarestaurant.com Asiate 35 stories above 80 Columbus Circle…

• Look Building, 488 Madison Avenue

  Stewart Mader

  13 May 2013 | 10:56 pm

  The Look Building, so-named because it once housed the editorial offices of Look Magazine, a bi-weekly publication that emphasized photography and counted among its staff the future filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. Bob Dylan recorded “The Times They Are a-Changin’” in the studio of music publisher Witmark & Sons, another tenant. The building was awarded landmark status by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2010. Photographed from the 22nd story of 477 Madison Ave.

• Pillars of Civilization

  Stewart Mader

  13 May 2013 | 9:42 am

  Dean Robinson of the New York Times writes about architect Renzo Piano’s comments on cities in a BBC interview (53 min) about the opening of London’s tallest building, The Shard: When Piano speaks of cities as “great human inventions” and basically civilization itself, and then insists that “you don’t give up the idea of city . . . and by defending city you have to defend the intensity of exchange and density, because the idea, the romantic idea, of the little village, it does not work” — well, the thinking feels right. The idea that towers are the pillars of…

• 

  Scott Fox's Posts - ClickMillionaires.com Lifestyle Entrepreneur Forum

• Step by Step New Site Header Design (Logo Design Tutorial)

  Scott Fox

  23 May 2013 | 9:30 am

  Thanks to all of you who have chimed in with feedback on the design for the header of my new website, GuestPostArticles.com. Your comments and suggestions helped me refine this design over the last several weeks.  I know many of you are new to logo or graphic design, so below I am sharing with you several of the drafts we went through.  Plus, I’m pasting in the actual feedback requests that I gave to the designers at each step of the re-design. By looking at each draft version of the new site header, and reviewing the comments I gave to the designers, hopefully you can see better how this…

• BONUS: New Niche Business ID Checklist is here!

  Scott Fox

  21 May 2013 | 3:30 am

  Finding your own niche business opportunity online can be a challenge, but now our expanded new Click Millionaires Niche Business Identification Checklist is here! As promised in the Click Millionaires book, this new checklist offers you a step-by-step guide to evaluating your new business ideas.  With more than 30 categories to rank each of your new niche business ideas, the checklist is a powerful, free tool you can use to find the best niche business online for you. Our exclusive new Niche Business ID Checklist can help you: Rank your business ideas on more than 30 critical success…

• How to Redesign a Home Page for Better Sales

  Scott Fox

  17 May 2013 | 1:50 pm

  How to redesign a website home page into a high-converting sales page design is the topic of this website design consultant expert tips video: Redesign and user experience improvement recommendations to help this stock market investing website at http://stockinvestingsimplified.com capture more leads and convert more customers to sales are the goals of this personalized video review from website design consultant, Scott Fox. Watch the video for tips you can use to help your website decrease its bounce rate and increase email signups and sales conversions. If you'd like personalized consulting…

• Click Millionaires Radio Live Call-in Episode Replay

  Scott Fox

  10 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  Click Millionaires Radio is back! Our latest podcast episode focused on your questions - both from live callers and via questions posted here and in the MasterMinds Forum.  Listen to the new episode for helpful topics like: How to pick between 6 different business niches Use of the Google Keywords Tool for market research The free Niche Business Identification Checklist PDF (free PDF download!) My recommended online survey tool How to attract responses to your surveys The legal risks of copying vs. imitating vs. being "inspired by" your competitors' web sites Prizes for our callers Plus,…

• 10 Helpful Discussions for You

  Scott Fox

  9 May 2013 | 6:00 pm

  Rank 1 Would love some help on an idea Posted by Martin Goldberg on May 8, 2013 2 I HATE SOCIAL MEDIA! Posted by Kered Mada on May 6, 2013 3 Online Affiliate Scams Posted by Darti on May 8, 2013 4 Would you buy Google Glasses? Posted by Scott Fox on May 8, 2013 5 Have you tried GuestPostArticles.com yet? Posted by Scott Fox on March 26, 2013 6 Best automated syndication software Posted by Nicholas Davies on April 18, 2013 7 Click Millionaires has Social Networking Caravans--Want to Join? Posted by Sheila on May 10, 2013 8 Doing Workshops Based off Other's Work Posted by Rogelio "Bozo" Avelino…

• 

  Innovation Management

• 6 Ways To Commit Innovation Suicide

  Gijs van Wulfen

  22 May 2013 | 10:43 pm

  When starting innovation, a lot of the same mistakes are made over and over again. Here is how you can recognize and avoid them.

• Obtén un Mejor Retorno de tu Inversión en Innovación

  Jesus Mascareño

  21 May 2013 | 11:17 pm

  En su último estudio sobre Excelencia en la Innovación Global, Arthur D. Little, proporciona pruebas concluyentes de qué prácticas de innovación separan a los mejores innovadores dentro y a través de una amplia gama de industrias. El estudio se enfoca en la relación entre el éxito en la innovación – basado en el impacto de la innovación – y el desempeño en la innovación – basado en un marco global que desglosa las actividades de innovación en diferentes áreas y busca la adopción de las mejores prácticas en cada una de ellas – y está disponible como kit de herramientas…

• Top Six Components of a Creative Climate

  Leif Denti

  21 May 2013 | 3:01 pm

  Are you thinking about ways to transform your workplace into an environment more conducive to innovation? This article takes a closer look at six components of creative climates that have shown to be significant at facilitating creativity according to new research.

• 新兴市场的颠覆性创新

  Erik Chang 张正明

  20 May 2013 | 10:55 pm

  设立于发展中国家的公司目前正为数十亿的当地消费者提供创新且廉价的产品。当更多的公司跻身于更发达的市场时会发生什么呢？

• Governing Innovation in Practice – The Role of the Board of Directors

  Jean-Philippe Deschamps

  20 May 2013 | 3:01 pm

  Is innovation part of the governance mission of boards of directors? At first sight, the answer seems to be “no”. In this new series of two articles professor Jean-Phillipe Deschamps delves deeper into the specific role of the board of directors and that of top management in exercising their innovation governance responsibilities.

• 

  FreelanceFolder

• WordPress Bootcamp: Ending Soon

  brantwilson

  23 May 2013 | 6:20 am

  Just a quick reminder: Registration on LearnWebDevelopment.com’s WordPress Bootcamp is ending this week – May 23, 2013 at midnight. If you want to learn WordPress – and create your first website in just a few days – this is the bootcamp for you! You’ll learn how to build a fully-functioning website using WordPress faster than ever before. Grab your seat today. And, if you secure your seat by Thursday at midnight, you won’t have to wait for this unique training. Go here now to see what you’ll learn and what others are saying about LearnWebDevelopment.com’s training.

• Website Branding with Detailed Photographs

  Jake Rocheleau

  23 May 2013 | 6:16 am

  Web graphics and stock photos are some of the more popular solutions to building a sense of credibility. Visitors may overlook stock photos at a first glance, but the aesthetics are still present within the content. This will leave a certain emotion placed onto each page or blog post. Using these photographs in your design can help to push a specific mood or effect onto the visitor. In this post I want to outline a few resources for grabbing high quality branding effects. These graphics may include icons, vectors, photographs, and lots of other similar examples. Overall you want to choose…

• An iStockphoto Promo Like No Other

  brantwilson

  22 May 2013 | 12:57 am

  Today we have an iStockphoto Promo to share with you like nothing we’ve ever seen before. A few weeks ago we told you about an exclusive iStockphoto promo code we obtained for our readers. But today our friends at iStockphoto reached out to us to let us know about an insane deal they are running today only. For the next 24 hours, iStockphoto is running a promotion and putting all their vector files on sale at 50% off! But wait… it gets better! Not only are their vectors 50% off, but our exclusive coupon code still works! That means you can get even more savings! As freelancers we…

• Building a Free Website for Your Portfolio in 3 Easy Steps

  iulian

  20 May 2013 | 8:41 pm

  These days, portfolios are for graphic designers and all sorts of professionals in the industry similar to what business cards were back in the old and good days. You need a website so that people would know who you are. However, if you don’t have the knowledge of setting up a website, well, there’s an easy way for you to create a portfolio that looks professional. Amongst the tens of website builders out there, there’s one that we want to recommend you because it’s extremely user friendly. Imcreator.com is the first website builder to use HTML5 and it makes the whole process of…

• 

  The Global Small Business Blog

• What Exactly Is Globalization?

  23 May 2013 | 1:17 am

  We had The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy where an economist, Pietra Rivoli, examined the markets, power and the politics of world trade - sorting through and encouraging us to understand how free trade and protection have most certainly changed our world.In the commentary recently published in The Wall Street Journal, The Economics of a $6.75 Shirt, Rubana Huq (managing director of the Mohammadi Group, a garment manufacturer and exporter in Dhaka, Bangladesh.), provides a detailed analysis of the economics of a $6.75 shirt made in Bangladesh and as it relates to Bangladesh's…

• Raising Kids Who Are Global

  22 May 2013 | 2:09 am

  The Ruff Ryders' first lady emeritus Eve, who recently dropped her first album in 11 years, Lip Lock, gets candid about the downside of fame and also mentions how she wants to raise her kids.I’d rather raise my kids globally than exclusively in the U.S. There is so much culture and history in Europe. We have culture in the U.S. but you have to look for it. A lot of the kids I’ve met in Europe are more mature because they’ve gotten to travel. In an hour, you can be in a different country. I’m going to be one of those crazy parents who wants her children to speak three languages.

• Alibaba Success Story: Ask a Lot of Questions

  21 May 2013 | 6:15 am

  Profiled company:  Eatwhatever

• Global Tilt by Ram Charan

  19 May 2013 | 11:24 pm

  I'm a big fan of Ram Charan (my favorite book of his is Execution:  The Discipline of Getting Things Done).  He has a new book out, "Global Tilt," and he doesn't let us down in continuing to offer great insights and solutions in the world of business.Click here to purchase.Photo courtesy:  ©2013 Laurel Delaney "Global TILT"

• Tiptoe Through the Tulips

  18 May 2013 | 6:03 am

  "Life isn't a tiptoe through the tulips." ~ Shannon HoonPhoto courtesy:  ©2013 Laurel Delaney.  All rights reserved.

• 

  Art Biz Blog

• 16 Ways to Demonstrate Your Art Has Value

  Alyson Stanfield

  22 May 2013 | 4:23 am

  Sometimes we get sloppy and forget that everything we do and say around our work affects how others perceive it. You teach people how to treat you and your art. Make sure you’re sending the right signals. Here are 16 things to consider. Making and Preparing Art 1. Use the highest quality materials you can afford. It would be humiliating for your art to start falling apart after it’s purchased. 2. Select frames that complement your work and are well made. 3. See that your mats are cut meticulously. Nothing ruins a good image like a sloppily cut mat. 4. Ensure that all 2-D art rests flat…

• 10 Reasons to Burn Your Art Group Membership Card

  Alyson Stanfield

  21 May 2013 | 4:25 am

  After years of encouraging artists to join artist organizations, I’m going to commit blasphemy with this post, which is somewhat of a follow-up to my post on poisonous relationships. I love groups that function smoothly, but many people start an artist organization without much of a vision. They want to have control without thinking about what is best for members and without first trying to improve existing organizations. There are a lot of “organizations” around that are disorganized and, therefore, dysfunctional. As a guest speaker, I have witnessed organizations that are…

• Twitter Tweekly for May 19 2013

  Alyson Stanfield

  19 May 2013 | 6:06 am

  26 reasons why no one likes your art via @MoonApe ow.ly/kisUs Painter travels to the wild for true adventure/subjects. Looks like a great film! ow.ly/kpQeO via @robertgenn HBR.org: To Get Consumers to Spend More, Try Turning Up the Lights web.hbr.org/ds/042513 As often as possible, give. As often as possible, give without wondering “what’s in it for me.” hbway.com/nlnow @chrisbrogan Neil Gaiman addresses art school grads in awesome 2012 speech ow.ly/kOhkR Create rather than consume. Brilliant mindset shift fr @chrisguillebeau chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/changing-t… Art Startup…

• 5 Ways for Artists to Get More Pinterest Followers

  Alyson Stanfield

  17 May 2013 | 2:44 am

  Guest Blogger: Beth Hayden More and more artists are jumping into the world of Pinterest every day. If you’re one of them, and if you’re like the new pinners I know, you’ll inevitably start wondering, “How do I get more Pinterest followers?” Building a Pinterest following takes time, so you’ll need patience. These five suggestions should get you started. 1. Pin regularly from unique sources. If you pin a couple of meaningful things a day, you will get more followers. As your content gets repinned and liked by other users, some of them will notice your profile and…

• Beware of Poisonous Relationships

  Alyson Stanfield

  15 May 2013 | 3:12 am

  The second principle of no-excuse self-promotion, according to I’d Rather Be in the Studio is: Connections are critical to your success. To succeed, you must make an effort to meet new people and to maintain relationships. But not all connections are equal. Some connections can be detrimental to your art, your emotional well-being, and your growth. When you are successful, not everyone will be happy for you. This can be scary. Some people prefer that you stay the same. Other artists might become jealous. They are uncomfortable witnessing your increased recognition and income. They might…

• 

  Meryl's Notes Blog at meryl.net by Writer Meryl K. Evans

• Be Accepting, Be Present, Be Calmer

  meryl

  8 May 2013 | 7:27 am

  Almost every year when May comes, I fretted about how I’ll get work done without the steady, reliable school schedule. So I dreaded the long summer months. Right on schedule, it happened last year. Except, instead of fighting it, I accepted it. And you know what? It was one of the best summers I ever had. No trips. No special events. Nothing. What was different? Other than my attitude, not much really. I spent most weekends reading great books by the pool while my sons swam. (Faves: “Ready Player One,” “The Night Circus” and “Gone Girl” –…

• The Problem with Carefully Crafted Headlines

  meryl

  26 Feb 2013 | 7:46 am

  Raining books image from Big Stock My youngest showed me a bookmark that listed the 20 Texas Bluebonnet nominated books. “Mom, I’m going to read all 20 of these books,” he said. Needless to say, I did cartwheels and back flips in my mind. (The only place it can happen as I haven’t done a decent cartwheel since the ’80s.) A child who wants to read? My oldest was average about reading. The middle one despises it. A little background. The Texas Library Association runs the Texas Bluebonnet Award program, a reading program that encourages children in third through…

• Speech-to-Text Software Test Take 2

  meryl

  18 Dec 2012 | 7:25 am

  Red Waves image from Big Stock When I had thumb surgery in 2008, I invested in voice recognition software to try to get work done. I spent most of the time fighting and correcting the Dragon Naturally Speaking. The one good thing that came out of the maddening experience was this funny speech-to-text software post. Despite having little hope in software to help me while I recover from arm surgery, I figure it wouldn’t hurt to try the software that came with Windows 7. At least, I wasn’t throwing money away like I did with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Folks said that speech…

• Relish the Past

  meryl

  13 Dec 2012 | 10:18 am

  My daughter and I went to her elementary school — where her little brother was a third grader — for the senior reception. Every year, the elementary schools hold senior receptions inviting all the graduating seniors to visit old friends and connect with their former teachers. Even the parents reconnected. I hadn’t seen some since middle school or longer. Elementary school requires more in-school volunteers than any other school. It gave parents a place to meet and socialize. Digging deep for memories One teacher admitted who saw her students using rulers as swords on the…

• Get on a First Name Basis with Online Prospects and Clients

  meryl

  23 Oct 2012 | 7:32 am

  Once upon a time, geography and the surrounding community limited the customer base for small businesses. Today, our connected world offers an unprecedented opportunity for small businesses everywhere because we can live anywhere and work with clients on a global scale. But what have we sacrificed? Sometimes we long for the days when an owner knew the name of every customer who entered the store. Communities foster customer loyalty and help keep a small business afloat during tough times. Building meaningful relationships lies at the heart of social media marketing. Social networks like…

• 

  Cash Flow Analysis

• You need accurate financial statements every month, not once a year

  survivalware

  7 May 2013 | 3:58 am

  Philip Campbell just posted an excellent article called “Does Your CPA Have to Fix Your Financial Statements for You?”  He points out that corrections are made because transactions have been left out or recorded improperly.  This is generally done once a year. In the meantime you are managing your business based on bad information.  He says the wise thing to do is create accurate information every month. Check out the full article.  Bravo Philip!

• Excel Ruining the World?

  survivalware

  24 Apr 2013 | 7:08 am

  One of the problems with spreadsheets is that it is so easy to introduce errors, especially as the size and complexity increase. We feel that SurvivalWare, with its English-like modeling language underpinning the calculations, is less prone to errors and more transparent. So of course I was mesmerized by the recent brouhaha over the Reinhart / Rogoff study, which tied high levels of government debt to low growth in the global economy. What I didn’t realize until I read this article on CNN Money, is that there are several other high profile examples of spreadsheets going wild in recent…

• SurvivalWare in 60 seconds

  survivalware

  14 Mar 2013 | 11:37 am

  SurvivalWare in 60 seconds A new minute long video describing the product line and philosophy of SurvivalWare

• The Power of Transparency and the Value of Information

  survivalware

  7 Nov 2012 | 6:55 am

  On a plane trip back home from Omaha a couple of years ago, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal called “The Summer to Go on a Power Diet” discussing products and techniques for reducing power usage.  In the body of the article, they talk about the impact of  just making cost information available: A study by the Envirnmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford showed a 5% to 15% reduction in power consumption just by providing energy information to users. ( Article link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704009804575308791120750332.html) Kevin Cushing,…

• DCF Analysis applied to everyday decisions

  survivalware

  28 Oct 2012 | 8:48 am

  Often you are faced with decisions about whether to pay a certain sum up front, or 6 or 12 easy installments – for Auto Insurance, Website hosting, and a myriad of other services.  Often you make the decision based on how “flush” you feel with cash.  When you are a boot-strapping entrepreneur, that means you almost always take the easy monthly payments.  But what is it really costing you?  Should you make the effort to pay up front – perhaps borrowing from a credit card or tapping a line of credit? Of course, the answer is, “It Depends.” Discounted Cash…

• 

  Connie Bensen

• How to Find a Job in Social Media

  conniebensen@gmail.com (Connie Bensen)

  19 May 2013 | 4:55 pm

  It’s exciting to see that social media jobs are mainstream in companies of all sizes! The role has evolved into a number of specializations as many of us predicted it would. And companies are realizing the value and hiring people to solve the business problems that the social web has created. The evolution and adoption of a profession makes find a job much more competitive. The secret to finding a job today in social media is really similar to any other profession. You need to understand what the company’s pain points are. And you need to be able to express the transferable skills that…

• Attaining New Customers via Outstanding Customer Care

  conniebensen@gmail.com (Connie Bensen)

  19 Mar 2013 | 12:02 pm

  My blogging recently has been in the form of guest posts. I will start republishing them here. This post was written for the Desk.com blog and was later published on the Salesforce.com blog. You’ve already got the “secret” weapon for new customer acquisition — it’s called customer service. But your customer service team is now treading in what used to be marketing territory, because of the explosion of social media. Customer care is your new brand and marketing differentiator. Social networks have radically changed the customer life cycle — customer care is now the beginning of…

• Recruit Employees to Grow Your Community and Drive Growth

  conniebensen@gmail.com (Connie Bensen)

  20 Jan 2013 | 9:57 pm

  Every Community Manager knows how much effort it takes to grow a young Community and encourage engagement in an established one. Most Communities also include social outposts on channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and possibly LinkedIn depending where customers are at. Participating in and growing this multi-channel presence is more than a full time job. The irony is that we all know that Community building takes at least three to six months before one can start to realize business objectives. We are all in agreement that Community is not a campaign that can be accomplished in a…

• The ROI of Blogging and Personal Brand Building and 5 Reasons to Invest

  conniebensen@gmail.com (Connie Bensen)

  13 Jan 2013 | 4:49 pm

  An overview of the lifetime traffic around my blog made me realize how much my blogging has impacted my personal brand and the ROI around it. This quick exercise made me realize that I need to start blogging again on a regular basis and start investing again.   I love digging into numbers! And the steady number of visitors to my blog despite the lack of new posts reinforce the statements that I hear on an ongoing basis: some have said that it’s a Bible for Community Managers requests that I start blogging again it inspires people to join the profession I started blogging in December…

• 5 Barriers to Becoming a Social Business

  conniebensen@gmail.com (Connie Bensen)

  6 Jan 2013 | 8:10 pm

  It’s no small feat for a company to transition to become a social business. One would think that it’s easier for smaller organizations, but companies of all sizes face the following barriers. 1. Traditionalists are afraid of change. How many times have you heard, “What we’ve been doing has been working, so why change?” The biggest challenge is the concept of placing content in social channels where it’s shareable. The paradigm and the purpose of the corporate website and where content lives needs to be adjusted. 2. Governance stifles creativity. Trust is…

• 

  dmiracle

• How to Create Offers Your Audience Needs, Wants and Will Buy.

  Dawud Miracle

  1 May 2013 | 2:11 pm

  There are three ways to create offers your audience wants: Create what you want, regardless of what people in your audience wants. Create what you think the people in your target audience wants. Create what the people in your target audience tells you they want. Well, the first option doesn’t work? That should be clear. If you just create the offers you want and don’t really think about your audience wants, it’s pretty likely they’re not going to buy what you offer. The second option can work. And that’s because guessing does work from time to time. Some times…

• I (finally) Switched My Website to the WordPress Genesis Framework…Why You Should Too!

  Dawud Miracle

  15 Feb 2013 | 10:42 pm

  You know, I tell my clients all the time that if you don’t like your website, you won’t use it. But I never thought that it applied to me. Yet, I stopped liking my old dmiracle.com design a long time ago. I found it clunky and difficult to use. I found it not very fun or interesting to look at. I was teaching things to clients that my site wasn’t doing on my own site. And while I was preaching how important the mobile web is I had a site that wasn’t supporting mobile devices. The result – I stopped using my site. I stopped blogging. I stopped engaging my…

• 8 Common & Critical Small Business Website Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

  Dawud Miracle

  26 Dec 2012 | 11:14 pm

  With small businesses one fact is true today, your business website should be a central hub for your business. Your business website should effectively represent your brand while providing ways for your leads to easily engage you. All roads in your business should lead back to your website, making it the pivot point for all your marketing. And you want to treat your website that way. Furthermore, having a website opens the possibility to not just market to your leads, but to create a powerful touch point for engaging your audience in conversation and building relationships with your prospects…

• Hate Selling? Well, You're Doing It All The Time

  Dawud Miracle

  15 Nov 2012 | 1:48 am

  Let me guess, when it comes to your small business, you hate selling. Just the idea of it makes your stomach turn a bit. It seems dishonest and dirty. And you’ve convinced yourself that it’s pretty much unnecessary to sell. Somehow you can get more clients and customers without having to deal with all that selling stuff. But how? How do you encourage more clients and customers to buy your products and services without selling to them? How can you grow your practice, increase your revenue and grow your small business and be apprehensive to selling what you produce and offer in your…

• Why Your Marketing May Not Be The Reason You're Not Getting More Clients

  Dawud Miracle

  24 Oct 2012 | 2:32 am

  Most of the the small business owners I work focus an abundant of time on their marketing. They put tons of effort into crafting their marketing message, polishing their marketing funnel and fine-tuning how they generate leads. And often, they do so before any of this produces new clients. Marketing your business is a really good idea, don’t get me wrong. However you choose to do it, marketing is a vital part of your business. As a matter of fact, marketing your services is something I teach my clients to do more effectively every day. Yet I find that there’s a hole in the…

• 

  The AppGap

• My Last AppGap Post

  Bill Ives

  26 Apr 2013 | 1:31 am

  I have been reviewing software for the AppGap and writing about other topics for this blog since January 2008.  It has been a great run and much fun. I have met many great people and been exposed to some ground breaking software. It has been a wonderful way to stay current with the market and observe its trends.  I often refer to the blog myself, using the Appopedia to look at past reviews.  This resource is organized by both product category and by vendor. Last November I moved back to my childhood home, New Orleans, to focus more on my painting.  Here is a post on my move: Driving…

• IBM Brings Social Business and Integration to Messaging

  Bill Ives

  24 Apr 2013 | 1:14 am

  I think that social business is the most significant transformation in business today and application integration is the backbone of this effort.  IBM has been making significant moves in social business for some time and has included application integration as a main part of its initiatives. See for example my post: IBM Connections 4.0 Offers Expanded Social, Integration, and Analytic Capabilities and my coverage of IBM Connect 2013. They were recently named by IDC the worldwide market share leader in social software for fourth consecutive year. Now IBM is extending its social business…

• Moxie Software Partners with Microsoft to Enhance Customer Service Capabilities

  Bill Ives

  23 Apr 2013 | 1:26 am

  In November, Moxie and Microsoft announced a partnership to pursue a joint go-to-market strategy to offer Spaces by Moxie within MSFT Dynamics CRM. (See – my post – Moxie Integrates with Microsoft Dynamics CRM).  In March, Moxie announced full integration with MSFT Lync to further strengthen their contact center capabilities. I recently spoke with Tara Sporer, VP of Marketing at Moxie software and Nikhil Govindaraj, VP of Products, to discuss the significance of these moves. As part of the partnership, Moxie Software will provide Microsoft Dynamics CRM with comprehensive,…

• 2013 Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) Process Starts

  Bill Ives

  16 Apr 2013 | 7:05 am

  The 16th annual Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) studies nominating began on April 15, 2013. The 2013 MAKE research program consists of the Global, Americas, Asian and European studies, as well as national studies for Brazil, China, India and Indonesia. This award always brings back memories. The Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) award has been around for some time. Back when I was with a large consulting company and involved in our knowledge management practice, I spoke at the awards meetings in London several times.  These were the days of better travel funding and the…

• Wrike Now Offers Mobile Visualization of Project Schedules on an Interactive Timeline

  Bill Ives

  10 Apr 2013 | 1:04 am

  Wrike provides on-demand, online project management and collaboration solution that helps both co-located and distributed teams work together in real time.  I have written about it several times before (see Wrike Provides Mobile Project Management). Here is Wrike’s Andrew Filev presenting a demo at IBM Connect 2013. Wrike integrates with IBM Connections to become more social. Wrike’s product vision is based on the innovative “work graph” model, connecting all work in one central hub that is comfortable to manage and navigate. Adopting the features of the “social…

• 

  Rise of the Innerpreneur

• An Experiment in Selling Products Online using Pay What It’s Worth Pricing

  Tara Joyce

  15 May 2013 | 12:07 pm

  I’m curious about selling products online using PWIW and how it can work best. So, about six months ago I turned some communication tools I’d created over the years into products and began selling them in my store using PWIW. Using PWIW for an Online Store For my experiment, I wanted to figure out a strong way of selling a product online using PWIW. My first task (I felt) was to find software to help me with the buying and selling of my products. I needed a shopping cart tool to enable the sales transaction and to provide the product to buyers after sale. After doing research I…

• Arn (Zingdad) Allingham: April 2013 Innerpreneur Spotlight

  Tara Joyce

  26 Apr 2013 | 3:00 pm

  Arn (Zingdad) Allingham Dreamer, author, healer, and tea boy Zingdad.com I am: The other you. Beyond that I am an awakening soul working hard to remember who I REALLY am. And as I do so, so I discover, I cannot help but to also assist others around me to awaken and remember who THEY really are too! I write, I share and engage. I offer healing. And I live the most blissful self-sustainable life in an off-the-grid home in a beautiful mountainous forest in sunny South Africa. My passion is for: Reminding those who are ready to remember of who they really are: an eternal, immortal creator being…

• another thing I think I know about personal branding

  Tara Joyce

  26 Apr 2013 | 3:00 pm

  My point-of-view matters. Who am I? Why am I here? These questions matter to my personal brand. The answers not so much. It’s not really about them. My value lies in the asking, in the questions. Exploring my distinct point-of-view is good for me, and it’s good for business. For knowing I matter matters deeply. I am contributing to my brand’s wealth whenever I focus on discovering more about what makes me uniquely and invaluably me. I can hear my point-of-view when I listen inwards, and when I listen to what is reflected back at me by my marketplace and my community. Through…

• one thing I think I know about personal branding

  Tara Joyce

  20 Apr 2013 | 4:04 pm

  There is no demand for my message. Personal branding isn’t about packaging myself up into a pretty box and showing only the good and glowing. The whole me, not my tidy little message, is what people want and will see, whether I attempt to control it or not. Establishing a message for myself, deciding on a pretense, trying to make you think what I want you to think about me, is not of benefit to me. And it’s not of interest to you. You don’t care about what I want to pretend to be. My personal brand, it is my Marketing, and it’s not something I do to you. Marketing is…

• Living in Creative Tension

  Tara Joyce

  1 Apr 2013 | 1:07 pm

  In Peter Senge’s book The Fifth Discipline, he writes, “The gap between vision and current reality is a source of energy. If there were no gap, there would be no need for any action to move towards the vision. We call this gap creative tension.” It seems to me that when we allow ourselves to be in the gap between our dreams and our reality — to live in our own creative tension — we find our self most ripe with the solutions we need. In this space we are living our questions, and the tense energy we create from “not knowing” activates our curiosity. This gap in…

• 

  Dr Jeff Cornwall

• Creative Destruction, Disruption, and Opportunism

  Jeff Cornwall

  13 May 2013 | 3:56 am

  Economists tell us that the primary role of entrepreneurs in the economy is to engage in a process they call “creative destruction.”  Through their innovations, entrepreneurs help create new industries that transform or even replace old and declining industries. For example, online media sites such as the Huffington Post have played a significant role in the decline of the print-based media industry and in the demise of many traditional daily newspapers.  Creative destruction is a not a common occurrence, but when it happens, its impact is profound The venture capital world views…

• Students Work for Free Enterprise

  Jeff Cornwall

  10 May 2013 | 9:20 pm

  Spurring entrepreneurship in Northern and Eastern Europe is as much a cultural battle as it is an economic one.  I am spending the rest of this month traveling with a group of students throughout Eastern Europe.  One of the lessons I hope they will learn is about the entrepreneurial transformation underway in countries formerly under the shadow, or more often complete domination, of the communistic USSR. We are starting our visit in Finland, where we visited Aalto University’s amazing entrepreneurship program. I have been a fan of Aalto’s Startup Sauna (formerly known as Venture…

• The Battle Over Plans Versus Models

  Jeff Cornwall

  2 May 2013 | 9:45 am

  There has been a growing debate about business plan versus business model.  The lines are being drawn.  However, I would chime in to say that both sides of this debate are right, and both sides are wrong.  To mix metaphors, let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water, even though that may be one ugly baby! We have moved to much more of a focus on business modeling here at Belmont University.  Why?  Because my own experience as an entrepreneur and as an entrepreneurship educator is that the business plan is just a tool. In that past, we did not teach much about business models…

• My Interview with VC Vic Gatto

  Jeff Cornwall

  1 May 2013 | 6:26 am

  TweetFacebookLinkedInTumblrStumbleDiggDeliciousThe post My Interview with VC Vic Gatto appeared first on Dr Jeff Cornwall.

• Life’s a Pitch. Be Ready!

  Jeff Cornwall

  29 Apr 2013 | 6:14 am

  Entrepreneurs need to be ready to pitch any time, anywhere. Jake Jorgovan, an alumnus from Belmont’s Entrepreneurship program, is always ready to give his pitch. “At the most random situations, I will find myself giving a pitch,” says Jorgovan. “Out at drinks with friends, or just out socializing and suddenly I run into someone who is a contact directly in the space that I am working in. It can catch you off guard sometimes, but you should have your elevator pitch prepared and not be afraid to deliver it anytime of day.” Jorgovan has become an expert at pitching through a lot of…

• 

  The Small Business Watchdog

• Request for Information Issued by GSA Joint Working Group on Improving Cybersecurity and Resilience through Acquisition

  admin

  15 May 2013 | 1:02 pm

  On February 12, President Obama issued the Executive Order for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (E.O. 13636). In accordance with Section 8(e) of E.O. 13636, within 120 days, the General Services Administration and the Department of Defense, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council, are required to make recommendations on the feasibility, security benefits, and relative merits of incorporating security standards into acquisition planning and contract administration and address what steps can be taken to harmonize,…

• Departments of Homeland Security and Labor Issue Rule on Wage Methodology for H-2B Visa Workers, Effective Immediately

  admin

  2 May 2013 | 11:18 am

  On April 24, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) released an interim final rule (IFR) amending the methodology for calculating the prevailing wages to be paid to H-2B workers and U.S. workers recruited under this visa program.  The H-2B visa program allows U.S. seasonal employers to hire temporary foreign non-agricultural workers.  The Wage Methodology IFR eliminates the use of four-tier wage rates based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey and replaces them with the OES arithmetic mean. The Wage…

• Gatorade, Football, and a Goldmine for the University of Florida

  admin

  24 Apr 2013 | 6:50 am

  While it’s not common knowledge, Gainesville, Florida, has exported some pretty valuable commodities to the rest of the world. While Tom Petty, of Heartbreakers fame, may be flashier, no less valuable is Gatorade. The granddaddy of sports drinks is also a poster child for successful university research commercialization. Dr. Robert Cade and several researchers on staff at the University of Florida in Gainesville developed the sucrose-dextrose drink, Gatorade, in the 1960s; their novel formula replenished the combination of water, carbohydrates, and electrolytes that athletes lose in sweat…

• Advocacy Attorneys Attend ABA Regulatory Institute

  admin

  22 Apr 2013 | 10:49 am

  On April 3-4, 2013, the attorneys from the Office of Advocacy attended the American Bar Association’s 9th Annual Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Institute: Critical Issues in Regulation. The institute deals primarily with administrative law, which covers the things that agencies do to implement laws or make regulations. The institute provides attorneys with an opportunity to learn about the relevant issues of the day and network with their peers. Advocacy’s participation in this conference keeps staff attorneys aware of the latest regulatory law developments that may have…

• Engaging Pittsburgh and Its Expanding Innovation Economy

  admin

  17 Apr 2013 | 12:31 pm

  On March 12 and 13, the Office of Advocacy rolled out the next installment in its national conversation on innovation and entrepreneurship. This extended dialog took place at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. The event continued Advocacy’s listening initiative, “Small Business and Government: Maximizing Entrepreneurship, Driving Innovation,” launched in Seattle in September 2012. Pittsburgh is located at the confluence of three great rivers, and was known historically as an industrial center and transportation hub. Steel and…

• 

  Young Go Getter

• Where to Get Your Medical Degree

  Justin

  5 May 2013 | 5:31 pm

  ralph lauren polo ralph lauren polo shirts polo ralph lauren factory store cheap polo ralph lauren cheap ralph lauren polo burberry outlet burberry sale burberry bag burberry factory burberry polo Do you want to be a doctor, but don’t feel like competing with all the grade grubbers at your college for a slot in a [...]

• Photography: Taking Your Hobby to a New High

  Justin

  15 Apr 2013 | 5:54 pm

  ralph lauren polo ralph lauren polo shirts polo ralph lauren factory store cheap polo ralph lauren cheap ralph lauren polo burberry outlet burberry sale burberry bag burberry factory burberry polo Whether you need to supplement your income while finishing school or you need extra dinero to pay off that student loan debt, there are many [...]

• Paying for College

  Justin

  25 Mar 2013 | 11:00 am

  burberry outlet burberry sale burberry bag burberry factory burberry polo You’ve applied and gotten in to the school you most want to go to. Congratulations! You are in for an incredibly exciting adventure. Now how are you going to pay for it? You’ve undoubtedly spent some time searching through the scholarships and grants that are [...]

• Entrepreneurs: You’re Not Alone, Here’s How to Connect

  Justin

  23 Mar 2013 | 8:49 pm

  burberry outlet burberry sale burberry bag burberry factory burberry polo Starting your own business is a daunting task. What with the lack of steady income, health benefits and a boss to blame when business is bad. Still, more and more people seem to prefer that to getting stuck in a company where there’s tens and [...]

• Colleges Reaching Out Through Social Media

  Justin

  6 Mar 2013 | 7:04 pm

  burberry outlet burberry sale burberry bag burberry factory burberry polo Social media has been an important way for people to stay connected. Today’s younger generation has been able to maintain friendships, plan social events, and keep up-to-date with acquaintances through one of several social media sites. However, in recent years, employers and colleges have begun [...]

• 

  PaySimple Blog

• How to Protect Your Business From Malicious Cyber Attacks

  Lisa Hephner

  23 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Security is an important part of all business operations. Whether you are securing customer information, your internal financial data, or a secret recipe for killer chocolate cake, you need to be aware of the many ways that information may be attacked and compromised. While you may think that your small business is too small to be affected, that is simply not the case. According to a new Verizon study, no business is too small or insignificant to be attacked. 75% of data breaches are “Opportunistic attacks” where the victim is not chosen as a target but rather attacked simply because the…

• How to Improve Response Rates for Sales Emails

  Lisa Hephner

  17 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  If you’re like most small businesses, email is an integral part of your prospecting, sales and marketing programs.  Sending email is both targeted and inexpensive, and tracking effectiveness is a clear-cut process.  So, the important question is, how are your email campaigns performing?  Are you getting your expected response and open rates?  According to the Silverpop 2013 Email Marketing Metrics Benchmark study, while open rates and click-through rates vary by industry, average open rates range from 12 to 25 percent, and click-through rates between one and four percent. If your own…

• 5 Ways that Charities, 501(c)(3)s, and Nonprofit Organization can Increase Monthly Donations

  Patrick Jones

  16 May 2013 | 8:50 am

  With the US economy still not performing as well as it was eight years ago, taking advantage of every single donation opportunity is of the utmost importance to nonprofit organizations. If you’re the head of fundraising for a nonprofit organization, adhering to the following five tips will ensure a successful and financially-sound year of donation growth. 1. Accept Credit Card, Debit Card & eCheck Donations The days of collecting donations via paper check have long since passed. With online banking the new norm, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone carrying a checkbook these days. In…

• Walking a Mile in Zappos Shoes

  Megan Paladino

  15 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Zappos this, Zappos that. People continue to buzz about Zappos’ customer service and culture. They single-handedly changed the way people buy shoes online while simultaneously becoming one of the most sought-after employers in the world. On a recent trip to Las Vegas, I made the Zappos headquarters tour a top priority. I had to see it for myself. Is Zappos’ altruistic vibe a genius marketing ploy or is it for real? After touching down in Sin City, I decided to book my tour. Apparently I wasn’t the only person wanting to visit the Zappos office on a hot weekday afternoon in Henderson,…

• A Direct Mail Marketing Tool for the Digital Age

  Lisa Hephner

  10 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  In our current instant communication world, sending a postcard can seem just plain archaic.  However, there is something to be said for relaying your brand message via a tangible card instead of a digital blip that can be deleted or rejected without ever being viewed. With a postcard, particularly one that includes a compelling picture, it will at least get viewed during the mail sorting process.  In fact, according to The Mail Moment report from the U.S. Postal Service, 98% of consumers bring in their mail the day it is delivered with 77% of them sorting through it immediately. (And if…

• 

  The Shoeboxed Blog

• Join Us at Paradoxos!

  Emily Farrar

  23 May 2013 | 11:05 am

  What are you doing June 6th and 7th? Join the Shoeboxed team at Paradoxos! Paradoxos is a two-day festival celebrating the power of ideas, collaboration, and what’s to come. Hosted in our hometown of Durham, NC, the event will bring together entrepreneurs, innovators and big thinkers from around the region and around the country. Shoeboxed is thrilled to be a taking part in the Paradoxos festivities and we’d love to see all of our great partners and users from the Triangle there! Members of the Shoeboxed team will be attending every Paradoxos event (find the full schedule on the…

• 3 Things Every Small Business Owner Should Know About Inventory Management

  Emily Farrar

  23 May 2013 | 7:22 am

  This post was contributed by Stitch Labs, providers of the must-have app for small businesses to manage inventory, orders, customers and more. Inventory management is the process of tracking the size and scope of your product. In everyday terms, it’s the thinking and organization surrounding your how much inventory and where it is. Entire college courses are devoted to inventory management, but there are three things every small business person must know about inventory management: #1 Why Inventory Management is Important Good inventory management helps you answer important questions about…

• Our 10 Top Tools to Help You Go Paperless

  Emily Farrar

  22 May 2013 | 7:25 am

  There has never been a better time for your office to go paperless! Whether you’re a solopreneur, freelancer or small business owner, a paperless work environment saves time and money, helps you get organized, and makes a major contribution towards protecting the environment. The best part is, thanks to paperless productivity apps and organization hacks, going completely paperless is utterly painless. In fact, you’ll start to wonder how you managed to get anything done during the dark ages of paper. Check out these awesome apps and products that will make your dream to go paperless a…

• Your Most Organized Office Ever!

  Emily Farrar

  21 May 2013 | 8:18 am

  Creating and maintaining an organized office gives you much more than bragging rights. Whether you work in a traditional setting with 20+ employees, or a home office where it’s just you and the dog, an organized office space will help you save time, work more efficiently, and focus more of your energy on generating leads and converting those leads to sales. The Tools The first step toward increasing organizational efficiency at the office is collecting the proper tools. Office supplies used to include Post-it notes, files folders, printer paper, and buckets of White-Out. Today, the most…

• Thank You from Shoeboxed Customer Support

  Emily Farrar

  20 May 2013 | 12:20 pm

  We just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who filled out our recent customer support survey! We sincerely appreciate you taking a few minutes out of your day to let us know how we’re doing and how we can improve. We read all of your responses and will be using them to make our support department better. The two main comments we received were that we can improve our Help Desk articles and provide more detailed responses to customers’ questions, so we’re focusing on those two improvements and hope you see the change over the coming months. We will send around another…

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  Business Pundit

• Apple: Playing It Smart or Evading Taxes?

  Gerri

  22 May 2013 | 2:33 pm

  Apple’s skilled accounting team may have saved the company billions of dollars in taxes by hiding $44 billion of its enormous profits between 2009 and 2012, according to a new report by Senate investigators, following a probe backed by Sen. John McCain. Apple CEO Tim Cook made his first appearance to testify on Capitol Hill on March 21 to answer allegations that the company developed a complex system for the purpose of sheltering billions of dollars in international profits from the IRS and international tax collectors. Apple denies dodging U.S. taxes, and in fact, the investigators…

• Crowdfunding: New Types of Equity

  Gerri

  21 May 2013 | 2:10 pm

  There is a new movement afoot in the world of small business financing. The concept of crowdfunding has its roots in earlier efforts to assist artists get their music and art projects funded in an organized way. Early experiments with the process have created a number of successful crowdfunding platforms, such as Indiegogo and Kickstarter. In 2011 over $1.5 billion was raised through these methods and 2012 saw this number double to just under $3 billion. The process is quite simple. An idea or concept is put into a story format. The idea is put on the crowdfunding site and the applicant…

• Get Ready for e-Sports

  Gerri

  16 May 2013 | 2:22 pm

  While we Americans are still trying to understand our online gamer brethren, the MMORPG industry has reached national pastime status in the East. In Korea, League of Legends and Starcraft competitions are broadcast on the same networks as NFL, NHL and MLB events. Viewership during the 2012 championship games broke the 8 million mark, which is more than twice the number of viewers who watched the season premiere of Mad Men. All of that advertising revenue leaves plenty of cash left over for the competitors. On top of commercial endorsements, professional gamers on a top 8 team make about…

• 13 Incredible Subterranean Hotels

  Julian

  16 May 2013 | 5:12 am

  The space tourism industry may be offering people the chance to travel miles above the Earth, but if you’d prefer to be beneath our planet’s surface, you’re in luck, as subterranean hotels are also appealing to the public to spend their holidays underground. Presenting the opportunity to try something new and exciting, their novelty factor could also make them stand out in a crowded marketplace. From repurposed secret military bases and nuclear bunkers to reclaimed caves and converted mines, these 13 amazing subterranean hotels may give the term “underground economy” a whole new…

• 15 Under 40: The Young Achievers

  Gerri

  14 May 2013 | 8:55 am

  We are perpetually fascinated with achievement at a young age. The magazine Granta periodically names 20 British writers under the age of 40 it considers significant. Many people aspire to become millionaires or retire by the age of 40. Young inventors and entrepreneurs and prodigies all fascinate us. In certain fields including music and mathematics, conventional wisdom tells us that success comes during youth or not at all. The wisdom of age notwithstanding, when younger people make their way into professional arenas, they can bring a great deal of value as well. Their fresh perspectives…

• 

  Small Biz Bee

• Does Our Business Meet Just to Meet?

  smallbizbee

  23 May 2013 | 9:46 am

  It’s time again—time for another company meeting—or is it? Meetings at some businesses are productive, informative, and highly beneficial to the employees and to the business as a whole. At other businesses, however, so-called “company meetings” are often a waste of time, unproductive, and may even generate negative review advice from those employees who attend the meetings, such as urging other people not to bother attending or not to even think about working for the company.  Purpose of Meetings So why do businesses hold meetings with employees? Some common reasons often…

• Small Business Gadgets 2013

  smallbizbee

  22 May 2013 | 10:13 am

  Gadgets are not only for tech warriors, but also for those who run small businesses. If you’re a small business owner, the right combination of gadgets can help you run your business right out of the box. Apart from saving time, the gadgets will also help you to cut down costs and carry out everyday business tasks in the most convenient way possible. Here are small business gadgets to consider in 2013: 1.  Square Although you may have customers who pay in cash, there will be many who like to pay ‘the plastic way’. The problem is you may not have the resources to accept payments through…

• 8 Ways to Effectively Run a New Business

  smallbizbee

  21 May 2013 | 1:21 pm

  New businesses require a lot of attention and hard work, coupled with some luck. The first few years of a business are the most important, so it’s the perfect time to set great habits by running the business effectively. Here are a few ways to run a new business to create those long-term successful habits. Be Consistent With Side Tasks Being effective and efficient requires diligence and consistency. Every day productivityrequires a checklist of tasks like these so that workers can easily follow through their daily chores. Here are a few things that should be done frequently, on…

• 5 Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Bounce Back from Them

  smallbizbee

  21 May 2013 | 7:25 am

  With almost 90 percent of businesses using social media, there are bound to be some mistakes. So, if you want to avoid falling into the limelight for the wrong reasons, take a look at these five common blunders. And, if the damage has already been done, learn how to bounce back from them. Posting Offensive Material Before posting anything on one of the social media sites, you have to make sure it isn’t going to offend anybody. But unfortunately, sometimes good intentions turn out to be a nightmare for businesses. This happened to KitchenAid in 2012. The company posted an offensive…

• Facebook Fosters Productivity

  smallbizbee

  20 May 2013 | 6:47 am

  Facebook and productivity in the same sentence?  If this feels like a stretch you’re not alone.  Up until now about half of America’s CEOs have forbid social media during work hours most likely for reasons far from productivity.  Still, studies are proving the contrary and the findings justmight get you to “Like” social media during office hours.     Let’s start with the facts The Academy of Management conducted a study that is changing minds and workplace internet usage.  The study was conducted over three groups: a control group with no privileges, a…

• 

  Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit

• McDonald’s Shareholders to Vote on Marketing Unwholesome Food to Children

  Harry Stevens

  23 May 2013 | 2:16 am

  A resolution at the McDonald's annual shareholder meeting today will seek to prevent the fast food giant from marketing unhealthy food to children. While the majority of McDonald’s shareholders will likely reject the resolution when they vote, Sara Deon, director of Corporate Accountability International's "Value [the] Meal" campaign insists that whether or not the resolution passes is of little consequence.The post McDonald’s Shareholders to Vote on Marketing Unwholesome Food to Children appeared first on Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit.

• HP’s 2012 Sustainability Report: More Carbon Reporting, Transparency, Social Enterprise

  Leon Kaye

  23 May 2013 | 2:15 am

  This week HP released its 2012 sustainability report, which covers the company's work on carbon reporting, social enterprise and supply chain transparency.The post HP’s 2012 Sustainability Report: More Carbon Reporting, Transparency, Social Enterprise appeared first on Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit.

• Shareholders Press for More Disclosure from Fracking Companies

  Tina Casey

  23 May 2013 | 2:14 am

  For the fourth year in a row, a group of shareholders is pressing oil and gas companies to disclose fracking risks and impacts, calling for material performance data and other quantified reporting.The post Shareholders Press for More Disclosure from Fracking Companies appeared first on Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit.

• Do Apple’s Tax Practices Reflect Irresponsible Capitalism?

  Raz Godelnik

  23 May 2013 | 2:12 am

  The reports on Apple’s tax avoidance and Cook’s testimony once again brought up the question of tax fairness and what it means nowadays. To further explore this issue from a CSR perspective, we tried to answer some key questions that hopefully shed some light not just on Apple’s behavior, but also on the practice of taking advantage of tax loopholes in general.The post Do Apple’s Tax Practices Reflect Irresponsible Capitalism? appeared first on Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit.

• Women in CSR: Pamela Gill Alabaster, L’Oréal

  Andrea Newell

  23 May 2013 | 2:10 am

  Pamela Gill Alabaster, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Sustainable Development & Public Affairs, L’Oréal, talks about her career, inspiration and recent accomplishments in our Women in CSR series.The post Women in CSR: Pamela Gill Alabaster, L’Oréal appeared first on Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit.

• 

  Zero-G Creative

• Breaking Down the 3 Barriers for Marketing Automation in Small Business

  zgc

  17 May 2013 | 7:47 am

  There are many well-established players in marketing automation: software-as-a-service providers who have built incredible platforms capable of performing a lot of functions to support a sales and marketing organization. The problem is that as good as these platforms are, they are generally a poor fit for small businesses — organizations limited in in time, money and human resources. Generally speaking there are 3 primary barriers to adopting marketing automation in small business, and we designed ORBTR to solve them all, making it the ONLY platform designed specifically for the needs…

• The WordPress Startup: Build an Online Foundation Quickly and Affordably

  zgc

  3 May 2013 | 5:12 am

  We’ve all heard the catchphrases, the “lean” startup, the “duct tape” startup, the “bootstrap” startup… In this post, I’m going to outline “The WordPress Startup” — featuring services and tools that will help you get started quickly and cost-effectively and help you easily implement theWordPress marketing automation formula we showed you on SlideShare last month.  

• Want to Track Web Leads From Direct Mail Campaigns? Here’s How

  zgc

  25 Apr 2013 | 7:57 am

  Direct mail remains a pillar of many small business marketing strategies. But even with the technology available to us in 2013, it is still difficult to trace web visitors back to individuals you mailed to: for example, knowing that John Smith of SomeCo, Inc., who received your mailing is on your landing page right now. Good news: combining ORBTR with effective direct mail personalization techniques can help you accomplish exactly that.  

• WordPress Marketing Automation Guide for Small Business (Slideshare)

  zgc

  28 Mar 2013 | 8:19 am

  This presentation will explain, step by step, how to implement a simple — but incredibly effective —marketing automation system that will take just 90 minutes of time per week to manage and cost less than $150 each month in out-of-pocket expenses.

• 3 Important Lessons I Learned Launching a Software Product

  zgc

  26 Mar 2013 | 8:06 am

  On March 15, my team and I officially launched ORBTR — the first marketing automation suite built for WordPress sites — and we learned a lot of good firsthand lessons along the way. Here are three of them: 1. Feedback is important, get it early and prioritize effectively. We got a lot of feedback early on, especially as a few of our clients began using early versions of our software. Their feedback, as was our own team’s experience in using ORBTR 1.0 on behalf of our clients, was critical in crafting the first public release. Almost all the feedback was constructive and helpful…

• 

  SoloSavvy Blog for Solo Entrepreneurs

• Turning “Down Time” into “Productive Time”

  Shannon Cherry

  22 May 2013 | 7:30 pm

  Waiting. It’s an inevitable aspect of human life and it’s not something that most of us enjoy. We wait in lines, we wait while our gas tank fills, at traffic lights, in doctor’s offices, to be served at our favorites restaurant, and while waiting to pick up our kids.  Statisticians have estimated that in a lifetime of 70 years, the average person spends at least three years waiting. THREE YEARS! But we can use these “down times” to be productive. Waiting doesn’t have to mean wasting time. You can manage your time better by conducting tasks that will assist you in business or…

• What Ducks Can Teach You About Branding and Business Success

  Michele Pariza Wacek

  22 May 2013 | 7:30 am

  Of all the mascots I would expect a high-end luxury hotel to have, the lowly mallard duck is certainly not one of them. And yet, that was what greeted me when I stepped into the Peabody Orlando Hotel. There is an actual story behind the ducks (which is printed on the napkins) but the reality is the story is less interesting than how the hotel has built a brand around ducks. First, you have the “March of the Ducks” — at 11 am the ducks “march” (or more accurately waddle) on a red carpet to spend the day in a luxurious fountain. This fountain is located in the middle of the hotel and…

• Change Your Mindset From Fearful to Successful

  Fabienne Fredrickson

  21 May 2013 | 7:30 pm

  When you are just starting out, there can be a lot of fear about where money is going to come from and how you’ll find clients. I understand this because back in the beginning, I lived through it too. So I went back and documented everything I did that worked and created the Quick Start Guide. One of the gems in that start up program is to write a congratulatory card to yourself about how much money you want to earn each month, the number of clients you need and how you’ll feel when this happens. I recommend crafting a few positive statements about what you want to happen, but make sure…

• Climbing or Leaping–Your Choice

  Laureen Wishom

  21 May 2013 | 7:30 am

  In the chapter entitled: How to Fast-Track to Get your Career on Track, I discuss the concept of “Build and Leap” for career success. Here is the except from my book: “The cornerstone of the “Taking It to a Whole New Level” concept for career acceleration is to move from a ‘climb the ladder’ mentality to a “Build and Leap” mentality. ‘Build and Leap’ is a simple process whereby you build a career ramp (Career Transformation Plan), and then you begin executing your intentions at a faster pace so that you can leap to greater career achievements. Now contrast this process…

• Store Credit: A Smart Choice for Business Owners

  Justin Krane

  20 May 2013 | 7:30 pm

  Does your business offer store credit? Last weekend I went shopping for a Mother’s Day gift for my girlfriend with her 6 year old son. My intention was to get in and out in under 5 minutes. That didn’t happen. It was about 10 minutes! I would have been out sooner except I had to find my girlfriend’s son hiding under a table listening to Kanye West on my iPhone! So cute! As I was rushing out the door the saleslady asked me if I wanted a store credit. That stopped me in my tracks. Why? Who doesn’t love getting a deal? Right? Check out the store’s discount strategy. They give you store…

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

• Awful Thing Inmate Put in Sandwich

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Awful Thing Inmate Put in SandwichFOX17Jeremy Merithew is accused of adding an extra ingredient to his fellow prisoners' lunches -- one that could alter their lives forever.Virus other inmates now might haveMore StoriesGirl's Bragging Could Get Her Arrested Star Refuses Morphine After AccidentStar a No-Show at His Own Premiere

• New Evidence in Zimmerman Case

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  New Evidence in Zimmerman Case Courtesy of Trayvon Martin FamilyDays before a pivotal hearing, Zimmerman's attorneys released photos and texts taken from the late Trayvon Martin's phone. Explosive images prosecutors tried to blockMore NewsKey Obama Pick Unanimously ConfirmedReverend Sues Church for DismissalArchives Hint at Wild Churchill, Stalin Night

• Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain Relief

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Simple Ways to Get Joint Pain ReliefAlamyBeing at a healthy weight is important with arthritis, which means eating a well-balanced diet -- including one protein in particular.Plus, the two 'most important' things to doHealth HeadlinesWhat It Feels Like Waking Up With MSSupplements May Help Fight DiabetesNew Finding on Women's Happiness

• Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Startling Find Made in Tiger's Stomach WTSP.comAfter a 17-year-old tiger refused to eat for two weeks, veterinarians examined him and discovered a massive obstruction in his stomach. Photo of object they found is unbelievableMore NewsThunderstorms Slow Okla. Tornado Cleanup Heat Wave Causes Power Outages in India Fourth Night of Riots in Sweden

• Obama Heckled During Drone Speech

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  Obama Heckled During Drone SpeechAPDuring President Obama's sweeping speech on Guantanamo Bay and drones, a woman suddenly -- and quite loudly -- interrupted him. His response to the 'young lady'Also in the HeadlinesObama Talks Drones, Gitmo in Speech GOP-Backed Student Loan Bill Passes House Full Transcript of Obama's Speech

• 

  Business News Headlines - Yahoo! News

• Birth control coverage up for federal appeal

  23 May 2013 | 3:26 pm

  DENVER (AP) — In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. asked a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill.

• Proxy advisory firm settles SEC charges over data breach

  23 May 2013 | 3:21 pm

  By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Institutional Shareholder Services has settled civil charges by U.S. regulators that an employee of the prominent proxy advisory firm shared nonpublic voting data in exchange for meals and concert tickets. The Securities and Exchange Commission said on Thursday that ISS, a unit of MSCI Inc, will pay a $300,000 penalty and hire an independent compliance consultant. In settling, ISS neither admitted nor denied the SEC allegations that it violated financial adviser rules designed to prevent misuse of material non-public customer information. ...

• Ralph Lauren's 4Q profit rises 35 pct

  23 May 2013 | 3:11 pm

  NEW YORK (AP) — Ralph Lauren Corp. reported a 35 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit as the luxury retailer benefited from lower cotton prices and cost controls.

• Google faces new federal antitrust probe: source

  23 May 2013 | 3:09 pm

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators are in the early stages of an antitrust probe into whether Google Inc, the top player in web display advertising, breaks antitrust law in how it handles some ad sales, a source told Reuters on Thursday. The source said that it was unlikely that the Federal Trade Commission had sent out civil investigative demands in relation to the probe, which would be the sign of a formal and more serious investigation. ...

• Stocks edge lower as investors reassess Fed fears

  23 May 2013 | 3:04 pm

  NEW YORK (AP) — Investors recovered their poise after a shaky start to trading on Wall Street that sent stocks sharply lower.

• 

  retaildoc.com

• 5 Retail Sales Mistakes That Cost You Business

  Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor

  21 May 2013 | 7:08 am

  Having written the book on retail sales, I am often asked what are the biggest mistakes retailers and their employees make. Before I get to those, I want to make sure you understand that while everyone thinks increasing sales and attracting new business comes from marketing, that’s only part of the solution. Why? Because your marketing really just gets them to the door, how you actually convert those new shoppers to buyers in your brick and mortar location is all that matters. And that’s where so many retailers fall down.  Hard… They fall down on the experience a customer…

• Top 10 Reasons Luxury Brands Should Avoid Retail Sales Training

  Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor

  14 May 2013 | 6:20 am

  Retail sales training may not be the best route to success for high-end, luxury brands. Some brand managers would argue that their luxury brand salespeople enjoy a different dynamic, one that is not subject to the fundamentals of retail selling. Here are 10 reasons: Everyone is Already Familiar with the Brand – With a well-recognized name, you don’t need to have your sales staff push the product; the product will just sell itself.  You can dispense with salespeople altogether putting an emphasis on kiosks and iPads so customers can find what they need on their own. No Need to…

• Retail Jobs:10 Things You Need To Know To Get And Keep

  Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor

  13 May 2013 | 5:26 am

  Whether they’re looking for a retail sales job for the summer, a second job, or a new career, many people turn to jobs in retail while they look for other opportunities. Retail can be the best job for anyone –  from college-age to past retirement – to develop their people skills.  If you choose a job in retail, you have to be willing to be what the employer wants. In my day, you didn’t have to know anything to be hired or to stay in retail. It didn’t matter then, but it certainly matters now. Why? It’s still true that retailers recognize that some employees may be…

• Retailers: Meditation Provides You A Key To More Sales

  Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor

  10 May 2013 | 4:58 am

  I used to pride myself on how busy I was when I worked retail. Four Cokes, a couple of iced teas, and a couple of sugary snacks kept me pumping sales. I was the bomb. I kept this up for most of my professional life, whether I was speaking in front of thousands of retailers, counseling a franchisee, or doing a business makeover – activity meant productivity. And then one day… I was driving home. There was a large SUV in front of me stopped for no apparent reason. I waited. It seemed as if the driver was talking to someone on the curb. In a hurry to get home, I was about to angrily floor…

• Why Retailers Should Support The Marketplace Fairness Act

  Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor

  7 May 2013 | 6:21 am

  This post is the result of a retailer note on the Retail Doc Facebook page: “I’m having a difficult time understanding where your support for this is coming from and what that belief is rooted in. I respect you in so many ways…I just don’t get it.” The Marketplace Fairness Act has just been approved by the U.S. Senate by a 69-27 vote and is on it’s way to the House of Representatives where the debate is bound to get ugly. In the circus atmosphere of a polarized Congress, where you are either a savior of the people or the devil himself, I expect a lot of sermons from both…

• 

  Business Insider

• Hugely Popular Dating App Tinder Just Launched A New Killer Feature

  Kevin Smith

  23 May 2013 | 2:32 pm

  Tinder, the extremely popular iPhone dating app, just launched a new matchmaking feature. Matchmaker allows users to create a match between any two of their Facebook friends for any reason. Once the couple has been matched the two friends can then chat in Tinder without sharing contact information, unless they choose to do so. Think of Matchmaker as a digital way to introduce two friends who you think may hit it off. Although It might be a good idea to check with your friends first before you start matching them with just anybody. Tinder is available for iPhone and is a free…

• The First Epic Trailer For The Next Game From The Creators Of 'Halo'

  Kirsten Acuna

  23 May 2013 | 2:29 pm

  Bungie just released the first official trailer for it's next game "Destiny," and we already want to see more. These are the guys that brought us the Halo video game series.  For fans of "Breaking Bad" and "Revolution," the trailer has a voice over from Giancarlo Esposito. The first official gameplay will be revealed at E3 during Playstation's press conference on June 10. Bungie has previously said the game will not be released this year. The game will come out on both the Xbox 360, the PS3 and is set to run on the next Xbox and PS4. SEE ALSO: The first trailer for the next "Call of…

• Prime Numbers Are The Secret To The Cicada's Success

  John Matson

  23 May 2013 | 2:24 pm

  “Periodical cicadas have the longest life cycles known for insects. They are called ‘periodical’ because in any one population all but a trivially small fraction are exactly the same age. The nymphs suck juices from the roots of forest trees and finally emerge from the ground, become adults, mate, lay their eggs, and die, all within the same few weeks of every 17th (or in the South, every 13th) year. Not one species does this, but three, and they always do it together.” —Monte Lloyd and Henry S. Dybas, 1966 There is safety in numbers or, at least, there is…

• George Zimmerman Lawyers Release Photos Of Trayvon Martin Holding Guns, Blowing Smoke

  Pamela Engel

  23 May 2013 | 2:23 pm

  In an apparent attempt to smear dead Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman's defense team has released photos and text messages from Martin's cellphone ahead of a hearing next week that will determine whether they're admissible in court. BuzzFeed has posted some of the photos and text message logs, and more are available at the George Zimmerman legal case website. Martin family attorney Natalie Jackson vented her anger about the release on Twitter, saying the defense team is appearing "desperate and transparent." Dear #GZ defense team...r u trying 2 say #TM deserved 2 b…

• Soccer Player Celebrates A Goal By Taking His Pants Off And Putting Them On His Head, Gets Ejected

  Tony Manfred

  23 May 2013 | 2:21 pm

  Mario Gjurovski plays professional soccer in Thailand. When he scored for his team Muangthong United earlier this week, he unleashed a bizarre celebration that got him ejected. He first simply paced around and stared at the crowd. Then he took his shorts off, put them on his head, and started dancing. When he went to put his shorts back on, he was given a red card and ejected from the match. From Big Lead Sports: Please follow Sports Page on Twitter and Facebook.Join the conversation about this story »    

• 

  HBR.org

• Seven Fun Facts About Corporate Taxes

  Justin Fox

  23 May 2013 | 11:28 am

  Thanks to U.S. Sen. Carl Levin's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, corporate taxes were all over the headlines this week. Subcommittee staff produced a fascinating 40-page "memo" on Apple's creative tax avoidance, then Apple CEO Tim Cook submitted to what turned out to be a not all that heated grilling from Levin and colleagues. On the assumption that, while this story will wax and wane over the coming months, it's not going away, here's some context (for you headline purists, the final two items are admittedly at least as much opinion as fact): Corporate profits are taxed twice. When…

• How To Get Better at Spotting Opportunities

  Heidi Grant Halvorson

  23 May 2013 | 9:00 am

  To be a successful entrepreneur - or really, a successful anything - you need to be able to recognize an opportunity when you see one. Specifically, you need to be able to identify a problem or gap, and come up with an innovative solution. (Of course you also need to be able to execute that solution, but without spotting the opportunity in the first place, you aren't going anywhere.) So how, exactly, does one become good at spotting opportunities? It's probably innate — you're either good at that sort of thing or you're not, you say. Wrong. Try again. Well, then it's probably a matter…

• Don't Blame Apple for America's Broken Tax Code

  Gretchen Gavett

  23 May 2013 | 8:15 am

  On Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook testified in front of the Congressional Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations as a part of their look into the company's corporate tax practices — according to Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the committee, "Apple successfully sought the holy grail of tax avoidance. It has created offshore entities holding tens of billions of dollars while claiming to be tax resident nowhere." I asked Mihir A. Desai, a professor and dean at Harvard Business School, a professor at Harvard Law School, and the author of a 2012 HBR article on taxing businesses, a few…

• Why You Should Let a 5-Year Old Design Your Next Product

  Nilofer Merchant

  23 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  All his life, he hated brushing his teeth. Getting toothpaste onto a toothbrush can be messy if your fine motor skills are still developing. And, of course, even though you know you're supposed to replace a toothbrush every three months, who really keeps track of that? So, Houston Diaz decided to invent a solution. And several prototypes later, he designed a toothbrush that has the toothpaste dispenser integrated into the brush itself, allowing himself and others to have a more convenient solution. And when the toothpaste runs out? It's a natural reminder that it's time to buy a new brush.

• Don't Read Infographics When You're Feeling Anxious

  Nicholas Diakopoulos

  23 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Ever had to look at a data visualization while you were in a lousy mood? Chances are you were more likely to make an error in visual judgment than if you had been feeling more cheerful. New research suggests that putting users in an emotionally positive mindset improves their accuracy in interpreting data visualizations. So even if your company publishes only the occasional graph, provoking a positive emotional response in the audience might just help you get your data across more accurately. Moreover, as research in this area grows more nuanced, companies producing visual analytic tools and…

• 

  Big Marketing for Small Business

• Affina Hotels Celebrates Small Business Week with Amex Gift Offer

  Rajan Sodhi

  22 May 2013 | 3:50 pm

  National Small Business Week is coming up June 17-21, and Affinia Hotels is showing support for small businesses with a $100 American Express gift card for guests who sign up for the Business Perks program during that week. The gift card will be given out to each new member when they check in for their first two-night stay at one of the boutique hotel collection’s six hotels (five in New York City and one in Washington, D.C). The Business Perks Program makes it easier for small companies to take their business on the road with a commitment of only 25 nights per year, and features: 10% off…

• How to Share Your Competitive Advantage Through Social Media

  Kevin Gaertner

  17 May 2013 | 12:59 pm

  Being in charge of a small business means constantly competing against the big guys. Providing something unique and valuable to consumers is the reason most of us started a business in the first place, and positively differentiating yourself from larger, more established competitors can really help you gain a competitive advantage. As a smart business owner, you need to keep your competitive advantage in mind constantly; it should be ingrained in your strategy, and evident on all fronts. This holds especially true when it comes to marketing online, since that’s where much of our focus…

• How a Small Business Can Find Love on Yelp

  Tina Hamilton

  22 Apr 2013 | 11:26 am

  Yelp’s influence is undeniable. By the end of 2012, Yelpers had written more than 36 million business reviews, making the social network platform the the leading local guide for online word-of-mouth. Michael Zammuto, president of ReputationChanger.com, says the power and influence of online review sites are directly linked to a business’ revenues. “Studies have revealed that an enterprise’s score on Yelp or on TripAdvisor is directly related to its profits,” he affirms. “For example, a Harvard study found that a single star on Yelp.com translates to somewhere between 5 and 10…

• How to Perform Easy A/B Tests of Your Landing Pages

  Rajan Sodhi

  20 Apr 2013 | 6:00 pm

  Anyone actively spending their advertising budget on digital marketing can tell you how important it is to continuously optimize your landing pages to deliver more qualified leads and sales. Testing creative ad copy in your Google search engine advertising (PPC) helps to improve your visitor clickthru rate, but if your page doesn’t convert that visitor into a lead once they reach there, you’ve just spent valuable ad dollars for nothing. Google search engine advertising is a direct response form of advertising–you’re reaching a potential customer at the moment they are very…

• Your Brand Power Starts With One

  Rajan Sodhi

  12 Apr 2013 | 11:36 am

  Ask yourself this one question: “What does your brand stand for?” If you’re unsure, don’t expect your audience to spend the time figuring it out for you. Your brand must stand for something or it stands for nothing—or risks just being mediocre and who wants to stand for that? BMW is known for high performance, Mercedes is known for luxury, and Volvo is known for safety. Not to say that any of these car brands don’t offer comparable performance, luxury or safety but each can only be known for one thing to make their brand truly meaningful to consumers.

• 

  Free Small & Medium Business Magazines and Downloads from alltop.tradepub.com

• IT Monitoring for the Mid-Market Business

  23 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  For a small and medium size organization, the service levels the IT infrastructure delivers can have a huge impact on the business. However, for many IT teams in these organizations, tracking and managing service levels is a persistent challenge. Too often, administrators only find out about issues after the fact, so the business experiences poor service levels and costly downtime. This eBook offers an in-depth look at why these challenges persist—and it outlines the key requirements IT teams need to address these challenges.Request Free!

• Enhance Your Agility and Speed Up Your ROI with Mobile Business Intelligence

  20 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  To further their effectiveness in this area, many SMEs are investing in Business Intelligence (BI), but are facing challenges when it comes to IT resources and potential users. This article discusses how SMEs can overcome these challenges by expanding their BI environments through mobility, enabling improved customer service and fast, well-informed decision making.Request Free!

• 3 Myths About VoIP Phone Service That May Be Holding Back Your Business

  16 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  Hosted VoIP makes businesses look professional, run more efficiently, and grow more profitable. But pervasive myths are keeping some businesses from taking advantage of this high-growth, proven technology. Don't miss out on the benefits of VoIP because of misinformation about mobility, ease of use, sound quality, and the appropriateness of VoIP for small businesses, where it really excels.Download this Executive Brief to debunk 3 myths about VoIP-based business phone service.Request Free!

• Drive Performance and Growth with Scalable Solutions for Midsize Companies

  3 May 2013 | 12:00 am

  But how do you manage sales opportunities and marketing plans while rapidly developing new products and services? How do you maximize limited resources? How do you improve internal financial controls and gain deeper insight into organizational performance? You can meet these challenges, and more, with SAP® Business All-in-One solutions.Request Free!

• Three Keys to Better Data-Driven Decisions: What You Should Know Right Now

  1 May 2013 | 12:20 am

  Organizations that successfully use an ERP software solution to align all activities with their business objectives will be in a position to access the right information at the right time, allowing for better, faster decisions.Request Free!

• 

  NASE Staff Blog

• Upcoming webinars: Affordable Care Act, Business Growth

  13 May 2013 | 8:32 am

  <em><strong>Posted by Molly Nelson</strong></em> - Wondering how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may impact your business, or how to achieve health business growth? Two webinars happening this week might have the answers you need.<br /> <br /> <em>"Small Businesses Beware: Why You Can't Afford to Ignore the Affordable Care Act"</em><br /> Hosted by ADP and HR.com<br /> <strong>Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 11 a.m. to noon ET</strong><br /> <a href="http://www.adp.com/acawebcast">Register for the…

• Changes to the SBA Contract Rule for Women-Owned Small Businesses

  10 May 2013 | 1:04 pm

  The Small Business Administration recently announced that they are amending regulations to allow greater access to federal contracting opportunities for women-owned businesses.  This signals the commitment by the SBA to continue to advocate and support woman business owners.  Previously, Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSB) and Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Businesses had a limit to the contracts they could receive.  With the rule change, the contracts can be at any dollar amount.  This will not only help federal agencies reach their goal of five percent of…

• Exchange Health Care Applications Released

  1 May 2013 | 11:14 am

  <p>Posted by Katie Vlietstra- &nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 13px;">On April 30</span>^th<span style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 13px;">, the Department of Health and Human Services released the new, simplified exchange health care application for both individuals and families.&nbsp;</span> </p> <p>The simplified application process will allow for the individual or head of household applying for health insurance to verify possibly eligibility in other federally administered health…

• The Small Business Lending Fund Is Supporting Small-Businesses Across the Country

  25 Apr 2013 | 11:26 am

  <p><span style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 13px;">A buzz has been created recently as reports that the U.S. Treasury&rsquo;s funding of the Small Business Lending Fund grew by over $1.5 billion between the third and fourth quarter last year.&nbsp; This is exciting as getting funding to local banks and community development loan funds and in the hands of America&rsquo;s smallest business is a great way to stabilize and grow the U.S. economy. Getting money to the self-employed will lead to more jobs and stronger communities.</span></p>…

• Yes, it's April 15th, but don't panic!

  15 Apr 2013 | 2:06 pm

  <em><strong>Posted by Keith Hall (NASE Tax Expert)</strong></em> - Well, it's here. April 15th and the tax return is due today. My guess is that a bunch of us have not completed all of the detail that we had hoped to and now we're not sure what to do. First, <strong>don't panic</strong>! <br /> <br /> If you need more time to complete your tax return, the IRS will automatically grant you an additional six months to file the return by simply asking them. If you need more time, simply complete IRS Form 4868, Application for Automatic Extension of…

• 

  Women Entrepreneurs GROW Global

• Women Should Be An Integral Part of World Progress

  Laurel Delaney

  18 May 2013 | 11:54 am

  At the recent Forbes Women’s Summit 2013 in New York entitled “Power Redefined; Generations Unite to Change the World,” Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, a UAE-based conglomerate operating across multiple core sectors of the global economy was the only man invited to speak at the event with over 200 participants of women global CEO’s and public officials.  He focused on the challenges and opportunities facing women within the Arab economies. “So when it comes to women and entrepreneurship; by ensuring that the business model includes and promotes women at every…

• How to Determine If You Are Ready to Expand Globally

  Laurel Delaney

  11 May 2013 | 3:06 pm

  How do you know when it’s time to expand your business globally? If you have customers beating down your online door or plentiful production capabilities but not enough work to keep production lines moving and workers busy — then you’re ready for global expansion. Here are six signs.  (Note:  I authored this for the MasterCard Business Blog.) 6 Signs Your Small Business is Ready to Expand Globally Photo courtesy:  Ben Sutherland Posted by:  Laurel Delaney Filed under: Global trade, International business Tagged: 6 signs you are ready to expand globally, expand globally,…

• Women First in Global Economy

  Laurel Delaney

  4 May 2013 | 12:06 pm

  The International Women Entrepreneurs Forum (IWEF) brings together women entrepreneurs from around the world.  The current program started in Istanbul and runs until today – May 4th. The panelists reflected on the role of women in the global economy and Turkish economy. “One million new jobs have been added to the Turkish economy in Turkey, 500,000 of them are for women, which is great for Turkey to grow because the more women are employed the more productive our country becomes,” says Mehmet Büyükekşi, President of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly. Learn more about the…

• Going Global Fast and Now!

  Laurel Delaney

  27 Apr 2013 | 3:18 pm

  Our good friend and colleague, Barbara Kasoff, President, CEO and co-founder of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) wrote the following article for the recent edition of Enterprising Women.  In it, she explains why exporting is important for women-owned businesses. Women in the Market:  Going Global Fast and NOW! Photo courtesy:  Free For Commercial Use Posted by:  Laurel Delaney Filed under: Exporting, Global trade, global women entrepreneurs Tagged: Barbara Kasoff, Enterprising Women, Exporting, going global fast and now, Laurel Delaney, WIPP, women impacting public policy

• Gender Equality Policies For Exporting Companies in Brazil

  Laurel Delaney

  20 Apr 2013 | 12:52 pm

  Three Brazilian government organizations have signed an agreement to support gender equality policies for exporting companies. The partnership involves the Brazilian Ministry of Development Industry and Foreign Trade, the Special Secretariat for Women’s Policies and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency. The goal of the agreement is to expand and promote female entrepreneurship among exporting companies. Read more here. Photo courtesy:  gaby_bra Posted by:  Laurel Delaney Filed under: Country specific, Exporting, global women entrepreneurs Tagged: Brazil, exporting…

• 

  Forbes - Entrepreneurs

• Are You Ready To Call It Quits?

  LearnVest

  23 May 2013 | 2:42 pm

  By Erika Morphy

• Deconstructing Google's Strategy: Will Google Eat Your Business Next?

  Steve Faktor

  23 May 2013 | 1:40 pm

  From the moment I entered Starbucks, the startup founder I’ve been working with seemed anxious. Had locusts destroyed America’s Frappuccino fields...?? I’d never know. Before I could caffeinate he asked, “Did you follow Google’s I/O announcements?” “Do Beliebers follow Justin?” I deadpanned. Unamused, he continued, “I think Google plans to get into our space. They could put us out of business.” As I talked him down from a mild case of Googlephobia, I flashed back to a dozen similar conversations with executives and entrepreneurs. It’s easy to get caught up in what Google…

• Here's Why Janet Jackson Is Not On Our Billionaire's List

  Dorothy Pomerantz

  23 May 2013 | 1:32 pm

  The Internet is abuzz with news that singer Janet Jackson is a billionaire. In fact several news outlets are saying she is "officially" a billionaire.

• The 10 Highest-Paid Women in Music 2012

  Dorothy Pomerantz

  23 May 2013 | 1:32 pm

  From Britney Spears to Beyoncé, these millionaire artists are giving further proof that girls do indeed run the world.

• Choose The Winners Of The 'Power of Age' Challenge

  Richard Eisenberg

  23 May 2013 | 1:26 pm

  I don’t know about you, but I’m weary of reading articles about how retirement may be lousy in coming years for many Americans.

• 

  Big Red Tomato Company

• The Ultimate Guide To Getting More Clients For Your Web Design Business

  Matthew Needham

  13 May 2013 | 5:11 am

    Growing a business takes time and effort.  It takes consistent delivery of quality work and happy clients referring more clients to you. The hardest part for growing your business is in... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• How to Grow A Business In 20 Days

  Matthew Needham

  24 Apr 2013 | 4:00 pm

  “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle Growing your business is like going to the gym. You don’t get results overnight. ... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• How A Must Do List Will Grow Your Business

  Matthew Needham

  22 Apr 2013 | 6:02 am

    Many of the business owners I work with are stressed out busy people. They spend all day dealing with customer queries, processing sales orders and above all answering emails. All urgent... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• How to Hire A Business Coach

  Matthew Needham

  28 Mar 2013 | 10:00 pm

  Many of my future clients are now tired and frustrated. They complain that they don’t have the freedom that they thought they would when they started out in their business. They don’t get... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• What’s in a name? The Story Behind The Big Red Tomato Company

  Matthew Needham

  25 Mar 2013 | 4:00 pm

  The question I am most asked is why is The Big Red Tomato Company called The Big Red Tomato Company? After all, we aren’t big, we aren’t red and we don’t grow (or sell!) tomatoes. ... The post... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

• 

  The Rise To The Top: The #1 Badass Show, Resource & Community For Mediapreneurs

• A Rare Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse into the Business of Amy Porterfield (What’s Working NOW)

  David Siteman Garland

  23 May 2013 | 5:43 am

  Today is a VERY RARE behind-the-scenes glimpse into the business world of one of the top mediaprenuers out there, Amy Porterfield. Amy has built a freaking empire (and quickly, I might add) by creating high quality digital products/training focused on Facebook marketing. And she has a podcast on the rise as well, which has been an absolute force. Amy is a one-woman wrecking crew and today on the show she is candid as ever talking about everything, including what is working in her business right now, her top strategies for marketing her products, why she is doing a podcast, and so much…

• Giving Away a Free Camera

  David Siteman Garland

  20 May 2013 | 5:33 am

  Our good friends at Citrix Online are back with a kick butt giveaway. So, as you probably know, GoToMeeting comes with HD Faces (so you can actually SEE who you are meeting with, which is awesome). To encourage peeps to turn on their webcam, we are giving away a brand spanking new Logitech B525 HD Webcam to a lucky member of RISE Nation. How do you enter? Really simple. Tweet your answer to this question (make sure to use the hashtags #risewebcam and #gotomeeting): If you could have a meeting with anyone famous (living or not), using GoToMeeting with HD Faces, who would it be and why? Click…

• How Did Dan Andrews Take The Lifestyle Business Podcast from 0 to Over 1,000,000 Downloads?

  David Siteman Garland

  16 May 2013 | 6:15 am

  OK, so, how cool is this? A few years ago, Dan Andrews and a buddy decided to start a podcast – The Lifestyle Business Podcast. They had no previous built-in fan base and no traditional media audience. They started it from scratch. Now, the podcast has over 1,000,000 downloads, has received 200+ 5-star reviews on iTunes, and is often ranked as a top 25 business podcast in Apple’s directory. How about the business side (it’s one thing to build an audience, and another thing to build a PROFITABLE audience)? Dan experimented with many different monetization models and in…

• Ask David: Is There a “Right Time” to Come Out with a Product and Sell It to My Audience?

  David Siteman Garland

  13 May 2013 | 6:20 am

  OK, so as you know, there is a chicken or egg debate when it comes to mediapreneurship. Behind door #1: Build a fan base and an audience and then come up with a product/service/something awesome to sell to them. Behind door #2: Create an awesome product/service/something to sell and then go build the audience. Spoiler alert…both work. However, let’s say you decide to open door #1. You are hustling to build your audience. Creating awesome content. You’re rocking and rolling. Bee-bopping-and-scootin’. And then you start to get stuck. When should I release a product (aka.

• How Did John Romaniello Become a Top Fitness Mediapreneur, Snag a 7-Figure Book Deal, and Build a Passionate Audience So Darn Quickly?

  David Siteman Garland

  9 May 2013 | 6:17 am

  Ever just meet one of those people where you are like, “Dammmmnnnnnnnnnn. Why does he/she always seem to be doing something awesome?” John Romaniello is one of those peeps. In just a few years, he went from a random trainer to one of the top online fitness personalities with a multiple six figure (now 7-figure) mediapreneur empire, a passionate audience, a ridiculously awesome book deal (7 figures, once again). Now that book is a New York Times bestseller. How the heck did he do it? I grill him in today’s episode of The Rise To The Top. Listen below. Roman has a super unique…

• 

  New articles | Biznik

• The Networking Personality – How to Go From Wall Flower to Business Power

  18 May 2013 | 7:49 am

  In networking events, from Chamber After Hours to professional lunches, there are always those people to meet and greet everyone. Often referred to as the movers and shakers, these people are in possession of the networking personality.

• Getting It All Done in Half the Time

  17 May 2013 | 11:40 am

  Every time you delay completing a task and come back to it later you must re-orient yourself and build the momentum you had before you stopped...ALL before you’re productive. But, how do you start and complete your tasks most efficiently?

• 10 Sure Fire Ways Mompreneurs Can Get The Support They Need - Part 2

  10 May 2013 | 1:16 pm

  Most of my female clients (and especially those who are moms) struggle MOST with asking for and setting up the support structures they need. Here are the next 5 ways to get the support you need to be successful!

• How to Attract MORE Clients Using LinkedIn

  10 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  If you’re not generating at least 6 figures in new business from LinkedIn, you need to learn the inside strategies on how to play the LinkedIn game.

• 5 Steps to Stop Stressing Out for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs

  10 May 2013 | 12:51 pm

  Owning and developing your own business can be a stressful endeavor, which should come as no secret to most people.

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  Online proposal software | Mimiran

• Rare moments in great business writing: “We Promise Not to Screw It Up”

  Reuben

  20 May 2013 | 9:33 am

  When Yahoo! acquired Tumblr for $1.1B, everyone who used Tumblr was hoping that Yahoo! wouldn’t screw it up, as they have with some previous acquisitions. When Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer took to Tumblr to announce the deal, she addressed this concern head on: I’m delighted to announce that we’ve reached an agreement to acquire Tumblr! We promise not to screw it up.  Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going.  We will operate Tumblr independently.  David Karp will remain CEO.  The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will…

• What Small Business Owners Should Learn from Apple

  Reuben

  18 Apr 2013 | 7:08 am

  Apple earns praise for churning out cool gadgets and generating mountains of cash. The company has also created a whole industry of pundits and authors trying to tell people what they should learn from Apple. As much as I don’t want to pile on, there was a great post on Daring Fireball yesterday, Pricing and Profit Consistency and the Halo Effect, about why Apple should not and will not pursue lower margins and higher market share. Gruber notes that Apple pursues the high end of markets with great products, and forgoes low-margin markets, no matter their size. Gruber doesn’t…

• Sales Proposal Writing Secrets: How to Use the Right Words

  Reuben

  7 Apr 2013 | 6:43 pm

  You get done with a great prospecting meeting, concluding with a promise to send over a proposal. Then you get back to your desk, stare at a blank page, and wonder what to write. Having a great proposal template will help you with the basic structure, which lets you focus on the details. When it comes time for the details, however, it’s hard to know what to write. Then, you fall back on talking about you, your company, your products and services, because you know how to write about those things. However, your proposal needs to focus on the prospect and their problem. I’ve talked…

• How can I make clients respect my time?

  Reuben

  28 Mar 2013 | 8:01 pm

  We all get frustrated when other people don’t respect our time. Unfortunately, many small business owners and freelancers, people who are already short on time, find themselves in situations where their clients aren’t respecting their time. How many meetings, discussions, workshops, phone calls, or even projects have you had delayed or disrupted for “something urgent”? This creates havoc not only with your schedule, but with your sales and cash flow. I was talking to a customer who does consulting, and was happy to have closed a proposal from a new client quickly, and…

• The Business Speak Blacklist

  Reuben

  25 Mar 2013 | 6:21 am

  A great article from Bryan Garner over at Harvard Business Review on removing business jargon from your writing. As Bryan writes: It’s mission-critical to be plain-spoken, whether you’re trying to be best-of-breed at outside-the-box thinking or simply incentivizing colleagues to achieve a paradigm shift in core-performance value-adds. Leading-edge leveraging of your plain-English skill set will ensure that your actionable items synergize future-proof assets with your global-knowledge repository. Just kidding. Seriously, though, it’s important to write plainly. You want to…

• 

  Business.com B2B Online Marketing Blog

• The Breakthrough of B2B Video Marketing

  Erica Bell

  22 May 2013 | 8:30 am

  Nearly every business and every marketer are looking for ways to create compelling content that’s fresh, eye-catching and engaging. From customer acquisition to increasing customer retention, content is how businesses are looking to boost their bottom lines. Because of this, businesses are expanding their content libraries with blog posts, infographics and case studies. B2B marketers are increasingly becoming more visual to appeal to buyers. However, they aren’t limiting themselves to images or white papers.  Videos are becoming more popular among both B2B marketers and buyers. The Rise…

• How to Dominate with Demand Generation

  Erica Bell

  20 May 2013 | 9:30 am

  Lead generation is a term many B2B marketers are familiar with. However, the B2B buying process is shifting and just as sales and marketing funnels have shifted, so has the lead landscape. Lead generation is often broken into two areas: marketing, which generates leads, and sales, which follows up and closes with those same leads. This is where lead generation and demand generation differ. Demand generation involves multiple areas of marketing and is really an integrated suite of marketing programs coupled with a structured sales process. Eloqua found that an integrated demand generation…

• Search Marketing 2013 Trends and B2B Takeaways

  Erica Bell

  17 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  Search marketing continues to evolve as search engines and algorithms become more customer-centric, focusing on what the individual searching is really after when they type a phrase or keyword into a search box. A recent study, the BrightEdge 2013 Search Marketer Survey, took a look at what trends are changing the strategies of search marketing professionals. In this post, we cover how data integration, mobile devices, social media and content are all impacting the efforts of search marketers. Data Integration Innovation in digital marketing platforms means B2B marketers are using a number of…

• The State of B2B Inbound Marketing – New Insights

  Erica Bell

  8 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  Outbound marketing, where marketers and businesses push their content out to a wide audience, is no longer the most effective strategy – inbound marketing is on the rise. Inbound marketing is when a company essentially advertises themselves and engages their audience through content, such as white papers, newsletters and social media to earn their audience. HubSpot gives inbound marketing this definition: Inbound marketing is a holistic, data-driven strategy that involves attracting and converting visitors into customers through personalized, relevant information and content –- not…

• Yahoo!, Google and the Power of Video Marketing – The Business.com Growth Tour of America

  Rob Canning

  6 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  This past we week, we had the opportunity to sit down with representatives from Google and Yahoo! to talk about trends in content marketing and online advertising campaigns. While there were several good takeaways from each of the sessions, one of the standouts came from our meeting with Google. They offer a Youtube playbook that outlines an approach for creating a video strategy to build and engage audiences. Even after reading through just the first few pages, I was confident that this would be educational for small and medium-sized business looking to build out their content marketing…

• 

  MyWifeQuitHerJob.com

• How To Evaluate Your Online Business Idea For Profitability – Can You Make Money?

  Steve C

  23 May 2013 | 6:32 am

  When it comes to starting an online business, the number one question is whether you’re going to make any money. And a large part of the profitability equation boils down to what niche you choose to sell into. Is there enough demand for your products? Is there too much competition? A common problem I see with the students in my online store course is they often have preconceived notions of what they want to sell before doing any research. And what’s funny is that they all want to sell the same things. For example, if you look at the brand new students in my class, most of them…

• How to Get Your First 1,000 Twitter Followers

  Tom Ewer

  21 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  If you know me then you know I love Twitter. It is my social media network of choice. Although Facebook is bigger, LinkedIn is more professional and Pinterest is more colorful, I always come back to Twitter — it is the second highest individual referrer of traffic to my site behind Google. In my opinion Twitter is an online business owner’s dream: it allows you to instantly interact with your peers and attract followers (and therefore potential readers/subscribers/purchasers) at a rate like no other network (in my experience). But as with most things, getting started can be the…

• The Best Way To Prevent Showrooming In Brick And Mortar Stores

  Steve C

  16 May 2013 | 7:07 am

  Brick and mortar store owners have it rough. Not only do that have to pay rent for their store front but they also have to pay daily wages for their employees who walk the floor and man the cash register. Since brick and mortar shops have higher overhead costs than their online counterparts, it’s generally more difficult for brick and mortar stores to compete on price. And as a result, many consumers resort to doing their product research at brick and mortar stores and then make their purchases online where prices are lower. This practice is called showrooming. Right now, many brick and…

• How I Use “Getting Things Done” to Drive Business Growth

  Tom Ewer

  14 May 2013 | 7:16 am

  In my opinion, business growth is driven by the ability to store and analyse ideas in such a way that they can be acted upon at any time. But for most of us, we have far more ideas than time. Today’s great idea may not be ready to act upon at the moment it comes to you, which is why you need a trusted system in which you can collect and store ideas. In this post I want to talk about my method for storing and regularly reviewing ideas so that they are acted upon in an efficient and effective manner. It is heavily influenced by one of the most influential productivity books of all time,…

• How One SEO Mistake Caused A Shop To Lose All Search Engine Traffic

  Steve C

  8 May 2013 | 7:02 am

  Every now and then, I like to follow up with the students in my class who have successfully launched their online stores. And it always makes me extremely happy to see them making progress using the strategies outlined in the class. I am spending a lot of time reaching out to mommy and daddy bloggers to review our product or try to convince them to write about us and so far that has been pretty successful. From an SEO perspective, we are already on page 1 of Google on about 75% of our keywords. Quite frankly, I love getting emails like this and I was feeling pretty good about myself too until…

• 

  Optimal Web Consultants

• How to Solve your “Work about Work” Problem

  Brandon Wentland

  17 May 2013 | 1:32 pm

  The biggest challenge for knowledge workers (essentially people who sit all day and work) is knowing the one most important thing they should be working on at any given moment. Since you will never get to the end of your to do list, you just need to be smart on what you decide to work on. Our second major problem is knowing what everyone else is working on at any time. To accomplish this, you have endless email chains, meetings, instant messages, and the friendly tap on the shoulder as you’re working. This is what Justin Rosenstein (co-founder of Asana) calls “work about work,” and…

• 5 Reasons Why Websites Fail (and How To Avoid Them)

  Erik Kielisch

  10 May 2013 | 10:48 am

  Websites are fragile things.  Like a team, every part has to do its job for the whole to succeed. Unfortunately, many websites seem thrown together.  Some parts don’t make sense, and others seem hostile to end users.  It’s as if the site exists for the company, but not for its customers. But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Your site can be a profitable asset instead of an embarrassing liability. Here are 5 reasons why most websites fail and how to avoid them: 1.  Outdated or Overly Creative Web Design Old-looking websites damage credibility.  Plus, people may wonder if you’re…

• How to Profitably Integrate Social Media Into Your Business

  Brad Cebulski

  3 May 2013 | 8:33 am

  Social Media Marketing presents an incredibly unique opportunity that other forms of marketing have never been able to provide before: the ability to integrate and impact a wide variety of aspects of your business. Whether it’s customer service, sales, marketing, market research, operations, or even finance, social media can do amazing things for your business if fully utilized. In order to fully utilize social media, you should think about integrating into as many aspects of your business that involves connecting with people. For instance, consider the following questions: What is your…

• Is Your Contact Form Scaring Customers Away?

  Erik Kielisch

  26 Apr 2013 | 12:14 pm

  Just having a contact form doesn’t mean people are filling it out. It has to be brief, only ask essential questions, and quickly take people from the beginning to “submit.” If it doesn’t, you may be scaring away qualified customers.  Here’s how to stop the loss. Use Heatmaps to Track Contact Forms Google Analytics can show a lot, but it can’t show you exactly how people are using your contact page. For that, we turn to heatmaps.  Lately, we’ve been using them to see how people use contact forms, and the results are surprising. 25-50% never make it to “Submit” When someone…

• Increase Sales with More Form Submission Information

  Erik Kielisch

  19 Apr 2013 | 10:47 am

  The more you know about your leads, the better you can serve them.  Plus, you also know what’s working and what’s not. To help us know what’s working, we use a simple but powerful tool called “Gravity Forms.” It’s a WordPress plugin that shows a lot of valuable information about the people filling out our contact form. But just about any form can be customized to gather this info. Value Your SEO One of our favorite parts of Gravity Forms is that it tracks the keyword someone used to find our site and contact us. If that contact turns into business, we can put a solid dollar value…

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  More-For-Small-Business Blog

• May 20, Financial Ratios: For Example, Inventory Turnover Ratio

  19 May 2013 | 5:34 pm

  Financial ratios are a way to measure business performance. To understand what inventory turnover ratio, cash debt coverage ratio or dividend payout ratio are, use financial ratios definitions.

• May 20, Business Financial Plan: What is Financial Management?

  19 May 2013 | 5:31 pm

  In business, you need a business financial plan. What is financial management? Review a financial statement example and learn about financial ratios, such as profitability and liquidity ratios.

• May 20, Disaster Recovery Scenarios for Business: Use Role Playing Scenarios to Prepare

  19 May 2013 | 5:28 pm

  Disaster recovery scenarios are part of a business continuity plan; including recovery of interrupted business functions. Use a disaster recovery template that includes role playing scenarios.

• May 20, Capital Expenditures: Justify With A Payback Period Formula

  19 May 2013 | 5:25 pm

  A capital expenditures plan is an important part of your operations plan. Choose a payback period formula, such as calculating internal rate of return or net present value to make the best investment.

• May 20, Business Plan Outline: A Visual Business Plan Layout Improves Results

  19 May 2013 | 5:22 pm

  Use a business plan outline, business plan layout or examples of business plans to direct your planning. A strategic business plan helps in getting your small business startup money or financing.

• 

  flyte blog: small business web marketing blog

• How Your Small Business Can Create Content That Attracts New Customers

  admin

  13 May 2013 | 7:26 am

  Online lead generation is critical to every small business. Our websites–and related properties–need to be constantly attracting new customers.  Content–valuable content–is what attracts prospects to our website where we can begin the process of turning them into customers. Since so many of us turn to search engines or our favorite social media platform to answer questions and solve problems, as businesses we need to make sure that we’re there, too, ready to help. Start by Creating Valuable Content Value is in the eye of the beholder, and in this case the only…

• Build-A-Biz Teaches Entrepreneurship to Maine Youth

  Rich Brooks

  10 May 2013 | 5:41 am

  Build-A-Biz is a youth entrepreneurial education program to kids how to start and operate their own businesses. I remember the first time I met Kate Krukowski Gooding, the founder and director of Build-A-Biz. I was presenting for the Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development and she came up and introduced herself. Half-way through explaining what she did, I interrupted her and said, “I want to be a part of that!” In Maine, something like 95% of adults are employed by small businesses, so entrepreneurship is a critical skill for Mainers.  As Kate told me, kids learn at a young…

• Should I Hire an SEO Copywriter? | Search Engine Optimization

  Rich Brooks

  24 Apr 2013 | 11:44 am

  Is hiring an SEO copywriter a good investment in your business, or are you better off writing your own copy? In today’s Dear Rich post, I summarize a conversation I’ve been having with a few different clients lately. Although I’m not a copywriter myself, I’m a huge fan of the art, so expect heavy bias ahead. Dear Rich,  Should I hire an SEO copywriter or write the copy myself?  You [flyte] have provided me with a keyword matrix for my website. You’ve given me recommended titles, headers, meta-descriptions and keywords for every single page. You’ve even…

• 5 Financial Planning Tips for Your Small Business

  admin

  10 Apr 2013 | 6:32 am

  It’s that time of year again: tax season. Lately people have been asking me—me—for financial planning tips. Me, the guy with the five-dollar latte in his hand. So, I did what any smart entrepreneur would do: I outsourced to people smarter than me. I asked five financial planning whizzes for their best tip, then I asked my wife, Cybele, who runs the books here at flyte and at home, to add some additional vetted resources for your researching pleasure.  “Create a budget so you know if your next great idea will put you on the map or sink you.” Alison Hinson Yarmouth Maine Additional…

• How to Use URL Builder in Google Analytics

  Rich Brooks

  28 Mar 2013 | 9:45 am

  If you want to get better traffic reports, you can enhance Google Analytics with URL Builder. Here’s how. Rich, Hope you’re doing well! I recently watched the video of your Google Analytics webinar (thanks for some great info about queries!) and have a burning question: You explained how to use the URL Builder, but I’m a bit confused about where to input the URL you’ve built to be able to track it. I looked under campaigns, but didn’t see an input window for a URL, am I missing something? Thanks! URL Building in Bowdoinham  Dear Building, Glad you enjoyed the webinar! My plan…

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  Digital Marketing - Matt Freedman

• Flybuys / Yahoo!7 Browser Toolbar – Big Data Play

  Matt Freedman

  14 May 2013 | 4:04 am

  Do you remember the Yahoo toolbar plugin? It was that annoying browser plugin that seemed to get automatically installed when you downloaded free applications such as Adobe Reader or Google Apps circa 5 years ago. Well it seems that the Yahoo! Toolbar is still around and through a partnership with Coles Flybuys, might start to get some traction again. I was interested to receive an eDM from Flybuys today asking me to download the new Flybuys toolbar (a partnership with Yahoo!7) with the incentive that I’ll get up to 100 Flybuys points for searching using the tool. For most people this…

• Content Strategy in 2013

  Matt Freedman

  27 Apr 2013 | 7:56 pm

  A content strategy needs to be part of any contemporary digital marketing strategy, but what is a content strategy? Wikipedia describes content strategy as “…the practice of planning the content creation, delivery, and governance. A repeatable system that defines the entire editorial content development process…” Forbes blogger, Michael Brenner, defines it as “as the mindset, culture and approach to delivering your customer’s information needs in all the places they are searching for it, across each stage of the buying process. It is a strategic approach to managing content as…

• Getting Value from Big Data

  Matt Freedman

  18 Jan 2013 | 8:22 pm

  Big data has become a buzz word in the industry and the opportunities to use Big Data for brands is massive, however  the key is figuring out how to get value from it. This infographic from data management company Alteryx was created from research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit. It lays out some of the key areas where big data analytics can be applied to allow companies to gain true value from it. The bottom line? It’s not how much data you have it’s what you do with it. Key takeouts It’s no good your data only sitting with data scientists and…

• Is 2013 the year of the mobile wallet?

  Matt Freedman

  7 Jan 2013 | 5:25 pm

  Every year we hear at digital conferences that it’s going to be the year of social year of mobile year of big data Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. I think 2009, 2010 and 2011 were going to be the years of mobile before 2012 finally was. So what will 2013 be the year of? Well I’m not sure if 2013 with be the year of the mobile wallet and mobile payments, but I’m pretty certain we will move a long way towards it, and surely by the end of 2014 the mobile wallet will be commonplace amongst all smart phone users. Technologies such as Paypal, Google Wallet and…

• Essential Mac Apps Updated

  Matt Freedman

  17 Dec 2012 | 7:45 am

  Further to my previous post on essential mac apps, here are some of the apps I use ever day and would be lost without. What apps can’t you live without? The Essential Mac Apps Alfred -The most awesomeness mac app ever. Launch any program with a simple short cut. Since installing this I never ever use the launchpad or the applications screen. Caffeine – This simple app allows you to turn the power saving settings on and off with the simple click of a coffee cup. Handy when you’re at your desk and getting up and down but don’t want your computer to go to sleep.

• 

  CurrentMom

• The F Word

  Karen Paul-Stern

  16 May 2013 | 4:33 am

  Truth Thursday It’s not what you think, although I am a renowned potty mouth. And it’s not even what I’ve written about before in many ways – feminism. Although it is in some ways. It’s about self esteem. It’s about...

• Paola's Tiramisu -- Brava!

  Emily

  13 May 2013 | 11:06 am

  Meal Monday My friend Paola is an amazing cook. She is from Naples and manages to whip up Neapolitan specialities the way I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That is, she is dazzling in the kitchen. Last night,...

• Just Another Sunday in May

  Karen Paul-Stern

  9 May 2013 | 5:20 am

  Truth Thursday I just can’t bear to try to find another way to talk about Mother’s Day. It’s a non-holiday, one that I really dislike. I am not interested in cards, in breakfast in bed (which no one in my...

• Coffee Talk

  Karen Paul-Stern

  2 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  Truth Thursday Last week on National Public Radio, as is often the case, there was a week-long series on a very serious topic – coffee. Java. Joe. Mud. Mocha. Cuppa. Brew. Regular. Probing journalism on where it comes from, who...

• Forced Creativity -- Roast Vegetables, Grilled Tofu and a Poached Egg Over Greens

  Emily

  29 Apr 2013 | 8:03 pm

  Meal Monday Sometimes it seems as if it's always almost dinnertime. As in, OMG, it's almost dinnertime already and I haven't thought about it/shopped/defrosted/prepared ANYTHING. Oops. But necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and I usually find...

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  Diamond Website Conversion » Blog

• 9 Ideas for Testing Your PPC Landing Pages

  Marty Diamond

  16 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Are your PPC clicks turning into sales? You expect a lot from your PPC landing page. It has to convince the visitor (who may or may not have expressed much interest in your product) to move beyond the initial click and take the next stop of making a commitment to your product. It has to turn him from a prospect into a bona fide customer. And in many cases, it has just a few seconds to make that happen. In order to accomplish that goal, you need to engage in some serious PPC landing page optimization. Each element on your landing page needs to work hard to engage and persuade visitors. The key…

• 5 Tips to Improve your Ecommerce Site Search

  Marty Diamond

  13 May 2013 | 9:29 am

  How good is your site search? Google has spoiled us. When we go online, we expect to be able to find the specific information we’re looking for immediately with a minimum of effort. Even if we don’t know the exact name of the item in question, we can type in an approximation or a description and most of the time, Google knows what we mean. That’s great for a search engine. When it comes to your ecommerce website, however, this high expectation can leave visitors frustrated if your search function can’t accommodate them as quickly as Google. It can even cost you some sales. The good…

• Five Free Analytics Tools to Boost Conversion Rates

  Marty Diamond

  9 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Conversion optimization starts by analyzing your analytics data Conversion optimization relies on knowing what’s happening when people land on your website. What actions do they take? When do they take them? Where and when do they exit? How long do they stick around? These are just a few of the essential questions you should be asking. In this post, let’s take a look at some of the best free web analytics tools to help you keep track of the answers. Google Analytics Google Analytics may be the best known free analytics program, and deservedly so. The sheer volume of data can be…

• Is Your Website a Jargon-Free Zone?

  Marty Diamond

  6 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  Caution…Confusing Language Ahead Argonjay is such an easy trap to fall into.  Ordsway or asesphray that are commonly used in your industry or business can be a complete mystery to people outside your industry.  What??? In Pig Latin, the children’s language game, “jargon” becomes argonjay, “words” becomes ordsway and “phrases”  asesphray.  When you stumbled over the words and wasted time trying to figure out what I was saying you experienced the negative impact of using jargon in your communications. Jargon is everywhere.  It’s the words that are part of the everyday…

• Landing Page Love For Your Social Media Traffic

  Marty Diamond

  2 May 2013 | 3:17 am

  Engage your social media traffic with landing pages designed specifically for them. Do you have separate landing pages for each of your social media networks? If not, you should. Let’s take a look at how social media landing pages benefit your company and how you can optimize yours for the best results. Why Do I Need a Separate Social Media Landing Page? It’s never a good idea to dump incoming traffic on your home page. The message is too generic and there’s no opportunity to tailor the information to the audience. If that’s true for PPC, it’s also true for social media. Social…

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  Profitable Growth

• Manufacturing, Marcellus & Money

  Andy Birol

  20 May 2013 | 6:04 am

  The Shale Gas Boom is Kicking BTU! What’s new in the shale gas business? Gas prices have inched up and no drilling-related seismic disasters have happened just yet. However, the overall impact of labor shortages, safety needs and environmental regulations are creating problems that smart manufacturers are leveraging into opportunities. Ever since ISNetworld (a group that assists companies and organizations with contractor and supplier prequalification, management and monitoring) became the dominant third-party data administrator helping Tier 1 companies hire better and more intelligently,…

• Birol Growth Consulting Helps Jeffrey J. Morella and the Complete Captive Solution, LLC Grow Quickly and Profitably Toward Long-Term Success.

  Andy Birol

  20 Apr 2013 | 2:13 pm

  Background: In 1991, Jeffrey J. Morella opened Morella & Associates, A Professional Corporation and has built it into a successful practice focused on meeting the legal and tax planning needs of business owners.  Over the years, Jeff’s expertise continued to grow as his clients faced increasingly sophisticated tax, insurance and business planning challenges. In 2005, Jeff began assisting his business clients in creating captive insurance companies as a cost-saving vehicle and to provide more flexibility for their companies. Then in 2010, as Jeff watched the Federal Government’s…

• Drive Your Business Despite Obamacare: Six Steps to Avoid the Pileups.

  Andy Birol

  20 Apr 2013 | 1:01 pm

  It seems every decade a new “roadside accident” appears to distract you from driving your business down your highway. In the 1990’s it was Y2K, in the 2000’s it was Sarbanes-Oxley. Now, with the help of our government, lawyers, accountants and healthcare experts, Obamacare will be the epic 500-car pileup of the century. Make no mistake; I am not challenging the merits of universal healthcare; just the burden it will place on business owners everywhere. After attending three healthcare briefings, I am convinced that in addition to the added costs of conforming to the thousands of…

• Three Key Signs Your Shale Gas Opportunity is Growing

  Andy Birol

  24 Mar 2013 | 11:16 am

  There’s an old saying, “It takes 20 years to become an overnight sensation.” Our confusing shale gas opportunity is a great example of this. Every day we hear “shale-chatter rants” on low gas prices, nagging environmental concerns and passive-aggressive government resistance; it’s easy to dismiss the opportunity. But there’s no doubt of three new signs of progress and many local firms are seizing their days now. Here are the three inarguable signs and examples of local business exploiting these: * It’s a Demand-Side play: Additional polyethylene Cracker plants are coming.

• Running Your Business When You’re Under the Weather

  Andy Birol

  24 Feb 2013 | 11:50 am

  In our hearts we all believe the saying, “Nobody is indispensable in a business, not even the owner.” But whether it’s a really bad flu or a broken leg (I’ve survived both) the worst part is the resulting depression as you are out of commission and recovering. So what does a business owner do when he or she is coping with the damage and the resulting blues? What should you do when you, the owner, are simply knocked off your game? Especially when there’s no one to pick up the slack? Having survived my share of challenges and watched hundreds of business owners cope with theirs,…

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  Business Credit

• 50 Shades of Small Business Financing: The Grey Area For Business Owners

  Marco Carbajo

  20 May 2013 | 10:40 am

  Looking for financing for your small business? Discover how to avoid the common mistakes made by small business owners and what proper steps you should take.

• Company Car Insurance:Why Employees Should Not Use Their Own

  Marco Carbajo

  13 May 2013 | 7:40 am

  Do you have company car insurance for your employees? Discover why employees using their own car insurance is a bad idea and how it puts your company at risk.

• How to Restore Credit after Hard Times

  Marco Carbajo

  30 Apr 2013 | 9:54 am

  Looking to restore your credit? Discover how to rebuild your credit rating whether you filed for bankruptcy, had a foreclosure, or job loss.

• When Does A Vendor Credit Line Show Up On My Business Credit Reports?

  Marco Carbajo

  5 Apr 2013 | 10:21 am

  Vendor Credit Getting approved for a line of credit with a supplier is simply an opportunity for you to start building your company’s creditworthiness.  The key to establishing positive credit is to make regular purchases using your vendor credit lines and then paying invoices on or ahead of the due date. If you do not [...]

• Best Small Business Credit Cards For Establishing Corporate Credit

  Marco Carbajo

  6 Mar 2013 | 11:01 am

  Does your business credit card build corporate creditworthiness? Discover the best small business credit cards for building credit in the name of your business.

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  The Work at Home Woman

• Transforming Your Life and Business

  Holly - The Work at Home Woman

  22 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  By Milissa Harding A couple of weeks ago, I attending an amazing three-day conference, and the theme of the conference was transformation. I left the conference really reflecting on what transformation means to me. To me, transformation means having the courage to find out who you really are, then to have a second helping of [...]

• Things That You Should Consider When Taking Out a Small Business Loan

  Holly - The Work at Home Woman

  21 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  By Casandra Ramey Taking out a small business loan is not to be taken lightly. It’s a major undertaking that is going to have serious implications on the borrower’s future. Above all, a person should really only considering taking out a business loan if doing so is going to have a profoundly positive effect on [...]

• 5 Ways to Find More Customers

  Holly - The Work at Home Woman

  20 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  By Danielle Buffardi Every business, be it virtual or not, needs new and existing customers in order to not only advance their bottom line, but also to keep growing and getting better. It can be intimidating for some to find new and innovative ways of bringing in new clients. Don’t fear – I’ve compiled five [...]

• Interview with Jeanne-Marie Paynel – Owner and Founder of Voila Montessori

  wahshodges

  19 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  Tell us a little bit about yourself and your entrepreneurial journey. My journey is a bit complicated to say the least. After many years in the graphic arts and advertising I decided I needed a major career shift so I went back to school and got a Masters in Montessori Education. After receiving my credential [...]

• The Small Business Owners Internet Guide to DIY Marketing: 5 Resources to Save You Time and Make You Look Professional

  wahanelson

  17 May 2013 | 10:00 pm

  By Jennifer Calero, MBA With limited financial resources and limited time, many small business owners handle their marketing in-house. The key to successfully taking on marketing tasks yourself is to make sure the finished product is professional enough to share with your current and potential customers. Here are 5 of my favorite internet resources that [...]

• 

  Leader Networks blog

• The Market Research Nuggets Most Companies Ignore (at their peril): Comments In Online Communities

  22 May 2013 | 8:40 am

  A customer shares an insight within your company’s online community. He somehow found the time in between meetings, phone calls and lunch to share a suggestion, idea or complaint in a discussion thread.  “It would be great if the XYZ product would … ,”  he writes. What does your company do with that customer input?  This is the $1,000,000 dollar question -- literally.   Should you: Choice #1: Fail to notice it?  Because the online community is large or understaffed, the customer suggestion falls through the cracks. Choice #2: See it and leave the customer…

• Why Your Doctor Can't Be Your Online Friend

  2 May 2013 | 4:57 am

  The boundaries between the physician - patient relationship have always been difficult as the relationship is based on trust, intimacy and the ability to share information from both sides of the desk.  This relationship has grown more complex due to the rise of social media engagement.  Physicians are being friend-ed, followed and reviewed across the digital channel like crazy, placing the doctors that care for them in difficult positions regarding the confidentiality of their patients who often don't think about the impact of their digital-buddy request. Similarly, due to the ease…

• What Online Communities Can Learn From a Master Convener: Eva Perón

  25 Apr 2013 | 6:23 am

  As I sit at my desk thinking about a new blog post topic, I struggle to write. Not because of a lack of topics, but because this is my first day back from a glorious vacation. We all know that post-vacation tension between enjoying the past and needing to return to the business at hand.  But in this case, I am delighted to realize that my trip to Buenos Aires makes for excellent fodder for a community-related discussion.    My fascination with Argentina's obsession with  Eva Pern, First Lady of Argentina (1946-1952) started shortly after I landed in the airport where her…

• Avoid Online Customer Community Failure!

  1 Apr 2013 | 8:56 am

  Failure.  It’s not a word anyone likes.  Yet it is common occurrence with innovation projects.  When projects fail, there’s a natural inclination to avoid looking for the reasons why.  This is especially true for online customer communities. A failure with customers (Ouch!) is far more painful than any internally-facing problem, because it touches the people and companies that are core to the organizations’ success. The usual reasons offered for online customer community failure include: the members weren’t ready for online discussions; the software wasn’t what…

• John Coate and the WELL: Looking ahead by looking back

  21 Mar 2013 | 3:56 pm

  A month ago I went to London to give a presentation at the 13th annual VIRCOMM Summit. On a cold and rainy morning (it was London, after all) about a thousand community builders and social media managers from around the world gathered to think and talk about the art and science of our complex profession -- creating and managing online communities. It was a rare luxury to take part in  an industry-specific conference, we all wear many hats and operate in a diverse group of reporting structures: marketing, customer care and sometimes IT. The event was well covered, with lots of blog posts…

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  Small Biz Daily

• Features You Need For Streaming Business Video

  Maria Valdez Haubrich

  23 May 2013 | 12:01 pm

  By Laura Russell, Kzoinnovations.com When your company or team is looking for the best option to produce and share key business videos that aid in overall business results and efficiency, a robust streaming video platformis a must. Video and web technology continues to advance at lightning pace and that makes the need to identify the right service provider as important as what service is currently offered. Teaming with the right partner for your business collaboration needs will give you the opportunity to take advantage of new features and options as they are made available. The Latest…

• Alternative Lending: Could It Make You More Profitable In 2013?

  Karen Axelton

  23 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  By Cheryl Conner In the not-so-distant past, the landscape for alternative lending was a territory fraught with predatory lenders relieving entrepreneurs of their precious capital at annualized rates as high as 70-90%. Today, however, the cash advance and the invoice factoring sectors are increasing in both prevalence and popularity, with business growing in both sectors at double digit levels each year. The safeguards are increasing as the market for these innovative lending sources continues to grow. Even the “loan shark” reputation is decreasing as mainstream organizations such as…

• Win $10,000 to Upgrade Your Business

  Karen Axelton

  22 May 2013 | 12:01 pm

  Could you use $10,000 to improve your retail business? Point-of-sale system provider Harbortouch is offering a $10,000 prize  to the retailer who submits the best video on how the prize money would help his or her business grow. “The economy is improving but a lot of merchants are still struggling,” says Nate Hirshberg, Harbortouch marketing manager. “This is what we came up with to help out with some extra capital.” The Harbortouch Business Upgrade Contest begins today. To enter, simply post a video on YouTube explaining why your company needs an upgrade (be creative!). Then…

• How Women Can Get on Corporate Boards

  Maria Valdez Haubrich

  22 May 2013 | 2:00 am

  By Jane Applegate The corporate board is still very much a men’s club, according to Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, author of The Board Game: How Smart Women Become Corporate Directors (Angel City Press, $25). I recently talked to Betsy about her well-researched and interesting book, which features stories about 58 female directors—plus advice and strategies for how you can land a seat on a corporate board. JA: What inspired you to write this book aimed specifically at women when there are other books out there on how to land a seat on a corporate board? BBC: As the owner of a retained…

• Donate Today to Victims of Oklahoma Tornado

  Maria Valdez Haubrich

  21 May 2013 | 12:01 pm

  By now you have heard the news of the devastation caused by the tornado in Moore, OK. The stats are history in the making: a rating of at least an EF4, winds 166 to 200 mph, an estimation of size to be at least two miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore. And while these stats are mind shattering, it’s the stories that are most heart breaking. 38,000 people without power. Vine videos from @GeminiTiger86 right in the midst of devastation. Highways completely shut down. An elementary school full of children demolished. HopeMob’s initial plan to help is simple. They’ve…

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  MLM Blog - Network Marketing Blog

• Xango Lawsuits

  ty@tribble.org (Ty Tribble)

  22 May 2013 | 4:22 pm

  Lawsuits are flying back and forth between ousted Xango founder, Bryan B. Davis and the Lehi, Utah based direct selling company. I have heard rumblings of issues at Xango for a while now so it’s not completely surprising. I will say that I had the pleasure of meeting most of the Xango founders a few years ago and I was very impressed. They are a smart group of seasoned and innovative leaders. Xango CEO Aaron Garrity is a student of branding and innovation and Xango probably had as much influence on the industry of Network Marketing as any company in the 2,000′s. In my opinion, the…

• Visalus Sales Down over $30 Million Last Quarter

  ty@tribble.org (Ty Tribble)

  21 May 2013 | 2:36 pm

  Press Release: TROY, Mich., May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — ViSalus, known for its mission of helping people transform their health and fitness through the Body By Vi(TM) 90-Day Challenge, announced first quarter 2013 sales of $104.3 million compared to $136.7 million for the same period last year. ViSalus had over 70,000 independent promoters at the end of the first quarter compared to over 92,000 promoters at the end of the prior year’s first quarter. Ryan Blair, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ViSalus, commented, “As part of our focus on our core weight…

• Social Entrepreneur News: Bo Short New Mannatech President of Business and Field Development

  ty@tribble.org (Ty Tribble)

  15 May 2013 | 12:03 pm

  Mannatech stock is up nearly 17% (as I am writing) on the announcement that Bo Short is joining the company as President of Business and Field Development. Press Release: Bo Short (far left) and Ty Tribble (far right) Mannatech, Incorporated, the leading innovator and provider of naturally sourced supplements based on Real Food Technology(R) solutions, announced today the appointment of direct selling legend Bo Short as President of Business and Field Development, North America. Short’s experience in direct selling has spanned 23 years, 21 countries and five companies where he has…

• The Bottom-line: Recruiting and Sponsoring

  ty@tribble.org (Ty Tribble)

  7 May 2013 | 1:17 pm

  Not gonna beat around the bush today… How would you feel about your business if you began sponsoring 5-10 new people every month? It takes work, but I have a formula that I have used in 3 different companies over my 20+ years in the industry. In fact, I used the formula to sponsor over 100 people in 9 months and I was named # 1 recruiter in all three companies (one had over 50,000 reps). But the best part about it is that I came up with the formula because I was scared to death to talk to people about my business. I would sometimes even go out of my way to not bump into people at the…

• Eric Worre Book: Go Pro: 7 Steps To Becoming A Network Marketing Professional

  ty@tribble.org (Ty Tribble)

  1 May 2013 | 12:30 pm

  Finally another Network Marketing book that I can stand behind 100%… One of the reasons I wrote my book, Double Your Income with Network Marketing is because I saw a bunch of books on Amazon that were other old and outdated or written by people I had never even heard of. Keep in mind, I’ve been writing about the Network Marketing industry on my MLMBlog.net site since 2003, so I pretty well keep up with the who’s who. And today, I am honored to let you know that my man Eric Worre has written a book: Go Pro: 7 Steps To Becoming a Network Marketing Professional Eric has taken…

• 

  Everything Small Business Journal

• The Coolest (And Smartest) Business Plan Out There

  Preetam Kaushik

  17 May 2013 | 12:43 pm

  There is a wide selection of books on how to formulate the perfect business plan. Don’t waste your time reading them. Instead, you should be more bothered about questions that relate directly to your business. Who wants your products/services? Whether you’re going to be selling electronics or you’re thinking of opening a frozen yogurt café, you need to know your customers. Is there a demand for what you’re offering? An important question that surprisingly recedes to the background as people go about trying to ‘set up’ their business. If you’ve done your research and found out…

• Startup Events: Use Them Wisely

  Preetam Kaushik

  16 May 2013 | 12:52 pm

  Startup events can really make a huge difference to the industry as a whole and give upcoming companies a chance to reach out to the world. For instance, the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at the beginning of the year saw big and small names come together to unveil cutting-edge products. While Samsung was showing off its massive TV, a company that got its backing via Kickstarter unveiled a smartwatch called Pebble. It runs apps via Bluetooth and it can be connected to your Android or iOS device. It just goes to show that startup events really do open up the playing…

• Here is How To Revolutionize Your Small Business on YouTube

  Preetam Kaushik

  16 May 2013 | 12:40 pm

  A recent YouTube announcement about paid subscriptions means that certain areas of the video site will soon be accessible only after a fee. This makes sense for a number of brands who have premium content to offer. It also opens up a new revenue stream. Besides this new move, small businesses can benefit a lot from YouTube. It all depends on how well you know you can use this as a marketing/promotion tool. Your Channel: As a small business owner, you should take special care in customizing the look of your channel. Use colors that complement your brand so that people know that they’ve…

• Peter Thiel’s 20 under 20 Fellowship Is All About Taking Chances and Innovation

  Preetam Kaushik

  15 May 2013 | 12:53 pm

  Creative business ideas can be tough to sell to investors and no one knows that better than Peter Thiel. The first investor of Facebook and co-founder of PayPal; the man knows a little more than just a thing or two about startups. The Thiel Foundation came up with the innovative plan of backing young adults who have brilliant ideas. The main criteria is that these individuals have to drop out of college and concentrate full time on making their ideas successful. How does the fellowship work? If you’re selected, dropping out of college is the first step. Thiel will provide you with $100,000…

• Success Metrics and ROI: Is Your Business On A High?

  Preetam Kaushik

  15 May 2013 | 12:40 pm

  The straightforward way to measure the success of your business is to check profit and loss. As times change, there are other variables that need to be taken into account as well. Business metrics that give you a deeper insight regarding the health of your business need to be taken more seriously. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) How much are you spending on acquiring new customers? You need to add up the cost of marketing and sales and then divide it by the number of customers over a particular period of time. If you find that you’re spending too much, you need to try and lower the cost so…

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  Springwise

• Decentralized cloud service turns servers’ waste energy into household heat

  Springwise

  23 May 2013 | 7:32 am

  Add / Remove When energy is transferred, heat is always a waste product – however, if the heat can be captured it can be converted back into useful energy. This is something that the creators of the BioLite stove and device charger has already recognized, and now Germany-based AOTERRA hopes to place cloud servers in people’s homes, using the waste heat they produce to keep the properties warm. The current model for cloud services is to keep multiple servers in one data center, using intensive air conditioning to stop them overheating. AOTERRA wants to provide cloud computing using…

• Platform helps businesses recruit relevant research volunteers

  Springwise

  23 May 2013 | 6:11 am

  Add / Remove We’ve already seen astronomers and cancer charities tap the crowds to help them with their research, but regular businesses can’t do this so easily. UserScout is a platform that connects willing participants with market research projects in one place. Businesses that need to trial their products, get feedback from focus groups or do some audience research often offer participants a nominal fee for their time – something which attracts students and part-time workers looking for extra cash. However, it’s often difficult to find the right participants for the…

• Sellers take a photo – app prices, sells and ships consumers’ unwanted items

  Springwise

  23 May 2013 | 3:08 am

  Add / Remove Internet marketplaces have made it possible for sellsumers to turn their unused objects into extra cash, but the process of getting those items online, ensuring they sell and packaging them can be a laborious process. That’s where Sold. comes in, with a mobile app that aims to do all of the work for them. Focusing on mid-to-high value goods – such as electronics, fashion and luxury items – Sold. users take an image of the object they want to sell. Using “smart pricing analytics”, the startup attaches a price tag and finds a buyer. Once a sale has been…

• SOLARKIOSK

  Springwise

  22 May 2013 | 6:41 am

  Add / Remove Starting a new venture anywhere can be a daunting task, but factor in the tough environment of rural Africa, and an idea that’s as ambitious as it is technically difficult, and you’ve got a job on your hands. Undaunted, SOLARKIOSK has set out to deliver easy-to-install solar electricity and light-providing hubs that could help those in off-grid areas to develop their own businesses. The company is guided by the fact that those regions where electricity sources aren’t abundant are what could be considered a no man’s land – even more so when the sun sets…

• Airline commissions books that can be completed in flight time

  Springwise

  22 May 2013 | 5:43 am

  Add / Remove In today’s world of non-stop information and endless social network notifications, it’s hard to find the time to concentrate on just one story, never mind finishing a full-length novel. The Netherlands’ VertragingsApp has already encouraged train passengers to discover short story authors based on their delay time, and now a new project has created a range of fiction titles for customers of Australia’s Qantas airline, selected to correspond with flight times. Titled A Story For Every Journey, the project is a collaboration with Sydney-based ad agency…

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  PR Newswire: Business Technology

• Elephant Talk Communications Receives Non-Compliance Notice from NYSE MKT

  23 May 2013 | 2:35 pm

  SCHIPHOL, The Netherlands, May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Elephant Talk Communications Corp. (NYSE MKT: ETAK), a leading international provider of proprietary Software Defined Network Architecture (Software DNA™) platforms for the telecommunications industry that empower...

• Parking: The Good, The Bad, The Brilliant

  23 May 2013 | 2:28 pm

  FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker™ by Streetline, the award-winning real-time parking guidance app, was put to the test in several urban areas to see if – and by how much – real-time information is successful in reducing the time it takes to find...

• ServiceKey, LLC Announces Comprehensive Settlement with Oracle, with No Obligation to Pay Any Damages

  23 May 2013 | 2:14 pm

  NORCROSS, Ga., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- ServiceKey, LLC, a Norcross, Georgia based international IT hardware support for multi-vendor solutions including Sun/Oracle platforms, today announced a comprehensive settlement with Oracle. The resolution of all of Oracle's outstanding...

• DecisionPoint Systems Names Michael Roe Principal Financial Officer

  23 May 2013 | 2:04 pm

  IRVINE, Calif., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- DecisionPoint™ Systems, Inc. (OTCBB: DPSI), a leading provider and integrator of Enterprise Mobility and Wireless Applications and RFID solutions, announced today that it promoted Michael Roe to Principal Financial Officer, effective...

• comScore Presenta Informe Anual 'Futuro Digital Latinoamérica 2013'

  23 May 2013 | 2:04 pm

  SANTIAGO, Chile, 23 de mayo de 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), líder en medición del mundo digital, publicó hoy algunos de los hallazgos principales del informe Futuro Digital Latinoamérica 2013. El estudio ofrece una visión global del...

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  Meylah

• Fanpageology For Meylah : 21 Point Checklist to Grow Your Fans on Facebook!

  15 May 2013 | 10:58 pm

  There are more than 1.2 billion people using Facebook every day. Facebook offers more than just a way to stay connected to friends and family; it is an essential tool in the marketing toolbox for small businesses.  Fan gating is an innovative and targeted approach to build your business’ following through Facebook.Creating a fan gate provides an incentive to people that are not currently your business’ fans to become a fan. Fanpageology makes it easy for small business to create their fan gate to attract the right customers at the right time.Download the 21 point checklist today!Meylah…

• Download eBook - 4 Recorded Meylah Webinars - All in One Place

  13 May 2013 | 8:33 pm

  Recorded webinars has been extremely helpful for small business owners to learn tip and tricks to manage their online business.Meylah did 4 top notch small business webinars and everyone loved it. With popular demand, we are making it accessible for you. Download the ebook to get access to 4 cool webinars:Facebook Marketing Made Easy!Meylah Store features and functionality!Empower your customer to take action on your store!Wholesale Selling made easy! First 10 minutes is black screen due to computer glitch.Register for a New Webinar : Amplify your Facebook marketing to attract more Customers…

• Interview with Susi Ryan of The Felted Gnome Knows

  12 May 2013 | 9:43 pm

  Today we're excited to feature Handmadeology Collection Winner, Susi Ryan, the Owner of The Felted Gnome Knows and we're happy to share her story with you today:A Peek Into Susi Ryan's Business - The Felted Gnome Knows (Visit her site today!)Sheep’s wool is what most people would consider an unlikely medium to express a feeling or perception but that is what felting and wool sculpting is for me. It gives me the power to express my worldview through a natural substance. My journey combines both a new way of manipulating wool, through needle felting or sculpting wool and an ancient…

• New Meylah Feature - Coupon Codes For Your Storefront

  6 May 2013 | 11:21 am

  We all are accustomed to promotions as a small business owner.  These promotions are a great way to attract new customers, generate new sales and engage with our audience.Who does not love a sale?  We all do and so do our customers.  We at Meylah are excited to share with you that now you can create your own coupon codes/discount codes especially for your storefront and energize your marketing machines.Each storefront can create up to 5 coupon codes.  Each coupon code can be either a % of total purchases or $ off total purchases.  It is very easy to create, edit and mange the coupon…

• Nakea and Meylah Team Up In Strategic Partnership To Provide Complete Online Solution for Small Businesses

  28 Apr 2013 | 11:02 pm

  Nakea and Meylah announced today, a strategic partnership that many are calling a game changer for small businesses in the digital age. The two companies have entered into a joint venture that bundles their core products and provides small businesses and organizations a comprehensive solution for building, managing and marketing their business online.  The new partnership is expected to spark innovation by maximizing the product development talents and resources at both companies, while driving scale and efficiency in the small businesses.The partnership is a strong strategic fit, leveraging…

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  i-netpreneur

• How to Start a Knowledge Base Using WordPress (6 Themes)

  cyrus

  10 May 2013 | 7:33 pm

  Sharing the information you know with others online is one of the best ways to build your reputation and grow your business. Many companies have started knowledge base sites to share information with their customers and prospects. You could always start your own with these 6 WordPress themes: Base: it has a clean and professional design with three styles. The theme is ready for Retina displays. It supports audio, gallery, video, and image post formats. KnowPress: allows you to create a customized database of articles and information. It has 5 different colors. KnowledgePress: has a responsive…

• Add Google+ Comments to WordPress: 3 Plugins

  cyrus

  3 May 2013 | 6:26 pm

  Google+ is going to play a huge role on how Google ranks websites in the future. The sooner you get active on it, the better off your business will be. Google+ already had Communities, Hangouts, and plenty of tools for small businesses to use to improve their brand engagement. Adding Google+ Comments to your WordPress site can be a difference maker also. These 3 plugins enable you to add Google+ Comments to WordPress: Google+ Comments: a very good implementation of Google+ Comments for WordPress. It makes your comment section tabbed, so you can have Facebook and Disqus enabled. Google+…

• 5 Awesome Photoshop CS6 Cheat Sheets

  cyrus

  19 Apr 2013 | 7:14 pm

  Photoshop should not need any introduction. It is an awesome photo editor that lets you enhance your photos easily. Photoshop has gone through many changes in the past few years. These 5 cheat sheets show you how to use Photoshop CS6 like a pro: PS CS6 Cheat Sheet: an elegant Photoshop CS6 cheat sheet by ZeroLag. It shows you how to use your keyboard to become a more productive PS CS6 user. Photoshop CS6 All-in-One For Dummies: a complete cheat sheet for this photo suite. It covers commands and shortcuts. Adobe Photoshop CS6 Keyboard Shortcuts: covers some of the commands you need to be…

• 6 Must See Tools for Online Businesses

  cyrus

  12 Apr 2013 | 6:52 pm

  Running a business online comes with its own unique challenges. Not any two businesses are alike. But there are tools that could help all small business owners run their businesses more smoothly online. Here are 6 powerful tools you don’t want to miss: Appsify: allows you to create iOS apps more easily. It has an intuitive web interface you can use to build your app visually. IFTTT: a powerful tool that allows you to automate simple tasks online based on the conditions that matter to you. Screaming Frog: a small program that goes through your website and gives you more information about…

• 3 XLR to USB Microphone Adapters and Converters

  cyrus

  5 Apr 2013 | 6:28 pm

  We have already covered some of the equipment you will need to build a professional podcast program. At the very least, you need to have a decent microphone to record higher quality audio. There is a good reason most pros go with XLR microphones. They give you more flexibility when the time comes to expand your operations. Connecting your XLR microphone to your computer is easy with a USB interface or mixer. Don’t want to invest a whole lot of money to get one of those? These 3 XLR to USB microphone adapters let you connect your XLR microphone to your computer using a USB cable: Shure…

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  Jeff Korhan

• Social Marketing is Relationship Selling

  Jeff Korhan

  17 May 2013 | 4:16 pm

  The Social Marketing Process ©Jeff Korhan Mainstream small business will more reliably get better results from social media if they view it more as selling than marketing. Why? Because effective relationship selling is personal, and now marketing is too. As social influences continue to profoundly affect business, just about every business activity is going to require relationship building skills. Traditional marketing or advertising was something you did – to your communities. Whereas, social marketing in our digital environment is something we do – with our communities. That…

• If I Were Starting Social Media from Zero

  Jeff Korhan

  13 May 2013 | 2:30 am

  A couple of months ago without notice, all of the social media sharing counters on my primary website had reverted to zero. Just like that, thousands of shares that had accumulated over a period of nearly seven years had vanished. Why is this significant? Social sharing is what is known as “social proof.”  It’s evidence that your site is active and worthy of the attention of new buyers that happen to be passing through. Not knowing if this action was recoverable, I settled into the realization that I may have to simply move on and start fresh. While the problem was…

• Social Media is Still Uncharted Waters

  Jeff Korhan

  10 May 2013 | 3:52 pm

  When you are embarking on a journey whose destination is uncertain, you have to get comfortable with uncertainty. When it comes to social media, uncertainty has been, and for the foreseeable future, will necessarily be part of its use in your marketing equation. These are uncharted waters. Everyone is still learning. So, small businesses simply need to first get their feet wet, after which they will find their way if they follow a proven process, such as the one outlined in Built-In Social. What I’m Hearing Now that social media hype is beginning to fizzle, the truth is coming out from…

• Why The Best Products are Souvenirs

  Jeff Korhan

  28 Apr 2013 | 8:10 pm

  Marketing expert Seth Godin has more than once noted that a book is souvenir – a vessel for ideas that allows them to be readily used and shared. I believe we can further expand on that idea. Have you ever considered that the products and services your small business creates are souvenirs too? What Exactly is a Souvenir? We often think of souvenirs as relatively low-value items that are purchased or received for free as a memento of an experience with a place, occasion, business, or organization. However, the original and primary definition of souvenir is to remember or come to mind.

• Small Business Social Media Accountability

  Jeff Korhan

  19 Apr 2013 | 3:03 pm

  Recent tragic events here in the United States (and around the world) have heightened awareness of the global reach of media, especially social media, and the consequences for businesses using it. Small business advertising has historically been local, making it easy to craft messaging that is appropriate for the targeted audience. However, now any piece of digital content has the capability of reaching audiences far removed from those for which it is intended. This creates new responsibilities that many businesses are only just beginning to fully comprehend. Your small business may be local,…

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  Indianapolis Marketing | Web Design | Roundpeg

• A Subtle Upgrade for Instagram

  Jenna

  23 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  You probably didn’t notice, but Instagram released a new logo recently. Before you freak out, yes the camera icon remained intact. We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief, for our little rainbow camera  friend made the cut, and it was only the type which was redesigned. The change was fairly subtle, which is why it went mostly unnoticed. For a designer, this is sort of a big deal, and something to get excited about. Sometimes tweaking a logo is actually more difficult than creating one from scratch, because you’ve got to find the perfect balance of old and new. I will…

• 3 Google Analytics Reports to Use Now

  Tamre

  22 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  Game of Thrones is the one show I carve time out to watch live each Sunday night. It’s a sprawling fantasy epic about the people of Westeros scrambling to claim the Iron Throne. The dragons sealed the deal for me. It’s not one of those shows you can jump into mid-season and understand what’s going on. The cast list is massive and characters don’t walk around wearing name tags. Unless you start at the beginning and really concentrate on who’s who, it’s overwhelming to figure it out and make sense of what’s going on. I latched onto the grandness of…

• Google+ Redesign: Big Fat Belly Flop

  Roundpeg

  21 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  Google+ was already kind of a mess. Then they redesigned it and made it even worse. The Roundpeg team has some pretty strong opinions on the redesign. Allison Why is every website now trying to Pinterest? Mashable, Etsy and now Google+ are all jumping onto a layout with big pictures arranged three or four abreast. That layout, with stories and pictures in individual pods arranged in rows, works great for Pinterest. But not every freaking site is Pinterest! Google used to be a leader, but lately all it seems to be doing is following. Copying Pinterest with Google+, rolling out their new…

• Blog Comments and Pingbacks Explained

  Peter

  20 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  A pingback is very similar to a wombat. Both are tiny and mostly harmless. And should you run across one, you may not know what to do with it. Same thing with blog comments. Unless your blog is wildly popular, you may not get even one comment in a month of posts. If you’re getting started blogging, you should know the basics of comment (and pingback) moderation for when you do see one in the wild. Here’s a quick primer on these two related kinds of blog post feedback. Pingbacks and comments are similar in principle. They’re a way for blog authors to know what others have to…

• Asterion, LLC

  Roundpeg

  18 May 2013 | 4:00 am

    This blog was created as a complement to the primary Asterion, LLC website to give the sales team to share new information and capture prospects through an email sign up form. Click here to view the blog

• 

  The Thriving Small Business

• 12 Steps to Implementing a Quality Management System

  Patricia

  20 May 2013 | 9:16 am

  Successful organizations have figured out that customer satisfaction has a direct impact on the bottom line. Creating an environment which supports a quality culture requires a structured, systematic process.  Following are steps to implementing a quality management system that will help to bring the process full circle. Let’s begin by defining the word quality. Quality Defined: “A subjective term for which each person has his or her own definition. In technical usage, quality can have two meanings: (1) the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy…

• License Office Customer Service Feedback

  Patricia

  14 May 2013 | 6:39 am

  Whenever I use a service I try to learn best practices to share with others.  The same way, whenever I experience a less than positive service experience I try to share those things that could have been done differently to make the experience better for me and other customers. I live in Missouri and there has been a long standing joke about state employees being a little less customer friendly than other organizations.  Like most everyone, I have a limited amount of time to run those annoying errands that are necessary to stay compliant with state laws. We recently purchased a new vehicle…

• Ten Technology Tips and Tricks

  Patricia

  1 May 2013 | 9:06 am

  I don’t know about you but I feel like I’m constantly chasing the latest technology trends and trying to figure out how to use the newest gadget or software. I also struggle with taking the scenic route around a device or keyboard. I’m fortunate to have people in my life who share technology and software tips to help me learn. I found this video from TED on technology tips that you might find helpful. Some of this I knew but I did learn a few things.  It covers tricks for cellphones, cameras, computers, web searching and much more. Its a short video and I’ll bet…

• 4 Keys to a Great Customer Service Experience

  Patricia

  25 Apr 2013 | 8:01 am

  Successful organizations understand that consumers pay the bills and great customer service is the key to business success. According to a Zendesk Customer Service Survey, 81% of customers reported that they shared a bad service experience with family and friends and 59% of consumers who had a bad service experience stopped buying from that company. The scary thing is consumers are now using social media (45%) to spread the word and more and more consumers are making buying decisions (88%) based on online customer service reviews. The survey also reports that consumers are sharing service…

• Steve Jobs Thoughts About Asking for Help

  Patricia

  16 Apr 2013 | 2:22 pm

  Asking people for help comes easier for some than others.  We can all relate to a time when we just needed a little help either with our personal situation or with our business endeavors. Having the guts to step up and ask for help is a skill that Steve Jobs speaks to in this dated interview. Steve explains that most people don’t get what they want because they don’t take the risk of asking. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”…

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  Think Traffic

• The PayPal Killer? Sell Anything Online in Seconds with Gumroad

  Caleb Wojcik

  23 May 2013 | 5:45 am

  Selling what you make online is more complex and frustrating than it should be. Platforms like iTunes and Kindle take a huge cut of your profits, well-known payment processors freeze funds with no explanation, and most shopping cart software looks like it was built in the 90′s. Not to mention that these solutions are hard to use, take your customers off your site, and make it nearly impossible to reach an actual human being for support. And even some of the best payment processing companies (such as Stripe, who we use for Fizzle.co) can still be complicated to implement without a…

• The Biggest Oversight In Online Video Today

  Guest Writer

  21 May 2013 | 5:45 am

  This post is by Richard Boehmcke, the winner of our mentorship contest earlier this year. There’s a great line from an episode of Seinfeld when George and Jerry are pitching their “show about nothing” to NBC’s top executive Russell. After a bit of back and forth Russell tries desperately to understand what the show is about. The exchange goes like this: Russell: Well, why am I watching it? George: Because it’s on TV! Russell: (threateningly) Not yet. As a profession, I produce videos for brands. That means I find myself watching tons of videos. All different…

• What’s the biggest question you have about building an online business right now?

  Corbett Barr

  16 May 2013 | 5:45 am

  What’s your most burning question about building an online business? What would you ask me and the Think Traffic team if you had our undivided attention for a few minutes? It can be about tech, marketing, networking, finance, something behind-the-scenes, something “taboo,” or whatever you’re dying to know the answer to. Take a minute to think about it. Really. Do you have a question in mind now? Great, because we could use your help. We’re starting something new, and your question could play a big part. Can you do us a favor today? While your question is fresh,…

• Vanity vs. Actionable Metrics: Are you tracking the right stats in your business?

  Caleb Wojcik

  9 May 2013 | 5:45 am

  You know the rush. A guest post you’ve written goes live on a huge site, you finally launch the product you’ve been working on for months, or an older article of yours gets Gizmodo’d. You watch your traffic spike and you can’t peel yourself away from the analytics for the whole day. “Look at all those visitors!” you yell to your significant other as they feign interest. But what really matters during these big days? What metrics and stats should you actually be tracking and which don’t mean jack squat? (Hint: Traffic doesn’t matter as much as you may think.) In this post…

• What’s New at Fizzle and Why We Changed Our Pricing Model

  Corbett Barr

  7 May 2013 | 5:45 am

  We’ve been busy over at Fizzle in the past couple of months and I wanted to share some exciting news with you. If you haven’t heard about Fizzle yet, we call it “Honest Online Business Training.” We think it’s the best training library and community for online business builders anywhere. And now, it’s available at a new simplified price. Announcing New Fizzle Pricing We used to have two pricing tiers for Fizzle. After lots of planning, talking with Fizzlers and coding behind the scenes, we’ve decided to unify all Fizzlers into one (discounted) pricing…

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  The Sales Lion by Marcus Sheridan

• The Bible, Content Marketing, and the Gospel According to You

  Marcus Sheridan

  20 May 2013 | 5:37 am

  I received a powerful and telling email last week that I think literally thousands of businesses and individuals can relate to. In response to the challenge I laid out to my newsletter subscribers, one person decided to embrace the concept of answering every question in his field to enhance his content marketing efforts. Here’s what he said: The reason I’ve been hesitant to answer every question is because I feel like the questions have all been answered by others who are smarter and better at writing than me. It’s the ol’ content saturation index issue. So, I’ve…

• Today, My Friends, I Sincerely Ask For Your Help

  Marcus Sheridan

  13 May 2013 | 5:09 am

  Over the past 44 months here at The Sales Lion, much of my work has been dedicated to sharing everything business and life has taught me up to this point. Without question, it has been an amazing ride. There have been many changes. I’ve truly done my best to offer value and build a community. But today, for the first time, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit and seeking the help of this incredibly important community. You see, two weeks ago I stood on a stage in Alexandria Virginia to give the most important talk of my life. As some of you may already know, the event…

• 2 Keys to Writing a GREAT First Paragraph to Every Blog Post You Ever Write

  Marcus Sheridan

  9 May 2013 | 6:46 am

  Over the past 18 months, I’ve been heavily involved in helping companies with multiple employees utilize insourcing as a means to produce large amounts of powerful content amongst their staff and team members. During this time, I have found there are two main elements that deter employees from writing and participating in the company blog, which are: 1. They aren’t sure what to write about. 2. They aren’t sure how to get their article started, beating themselves up over the “right” first paragraph. The solution to #1 is very simple—You take it out of their hands. In other words,…

• How to Write 100 Blog Articles in Under 5 Hours: An Amazing Content Marketing Story

  Marcus Sheridan

  30 Apr 2013 | 5:10 am

  Is 100 blog articles in less than 5 hours possible? Of course it is… When it comes to content marketing and blogging, I have found there are basically two types of business owners and leaders: 1. The person that has every excuse as to why there isn’t enough time(and employees, resources, etc.) to produce enough needed content. 2. The person that makes no excuses and simply does what it takes. In other words, slackers and doers. (Just keeping it real y’all) At this point in my career as a consultant, I’m happy to say I no longer work for person #1. In fact, it has become my entire…

• The Reality as to Why Most Big Brands Stink at Content Marketing

  Marcus Sheridan

  26 Apr 2013 | 7:54 am

  I rarely talk about it, as it certainly doesn’t apply to content marketing in the direct sense, but my feet hurt. Seriously, they do. Plantar fasciitis is a constant whisper sending signals to my brain that the arches in my feet aren’t happy. Sometimes it’s not so bad, and other times it gets much worse. Amongst the many things I do to remedy my situation is the usage of a special insole for my shoes—insoles (orthotics) that often times cost way more than the shoes themselves. Over the past 3 years, I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on insoles alone at a store called…

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  Ventureneer - Small Business

• Women-led Businesses Bring Better Returns

  Geri Stengel

  22 May 2013 | 9:20 pm

  Why are Warren Buffett and other men bullish on women? Warren Buffett recognizes value when he sees it. His style of investing in high-quality, underpriced companies has made him one of the richest men in the world. Women are an under valued resource who are key to America’s prosperity wrote Buffett in an essay in Fortune. read more

• Asking “Why?” Can Build Bigger Business, Better Marketing

  Geri Stengel

  15 May 2013 | 9:20 pm

  Do you want to know why some companies are more innovative, more profitable, command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? It’s because they start by asking “why,” according to Simon Sinek, an ethnographer, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action and speaker (his TED speech is among my favorites). read more

• Click Here – Or Maybe Not

  Guest Blogger

  13 May 2013 | 9:20 pm

  by Mardy Sitzer Oh how I hate to see ‘click here’ it is so unimaginative, screams potential scam or worse – malware. So why oh why are marketers still relying on ‘click here’ as a call to action? read more

• Immigrant Finds US Land of Opportunity for Business

  Guest Blogger

  8 May 2013 | 9:20 pm

  by Karin Kamp Nada Kiblawi was born in a refugee camp, lived through regional wars and finally found safe haven and economic independence as an entrepreneur in the U.S. As a child born and raised in a Palestinian refugee camp, she suffered from low self-esteem, despite feeling love and affection from her parents. Nada’s family fled to Lebanon during the 1948 Arab-Israel war, losing all of their possessions and the land they owned in the process. They ended up north of Beirut, in a United Nations refugee camp, which was meant to be a stopgap solution to their crisis. Nada, her six…

• How to Network to Grow Your Business

  Geri Stengel

  1 May 2013 | 9:20 pm

  If women entrepreneurs want to grow their businesses, they need to network. That means stop behaving like shy little girls: Put yourself out there, especially when the economy is slow. read more

• 

  Matt About Business

• The 4 R’s of Ridiculously Great Content

  Matt Mansfield

  17 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  You can create as much content as you want, and use the best search engine optimization methods you can get, but if people don’t really care what you have to say, you’re not going to get far. That’s why I wanted to give you some tips that I use when I’m creating content like blog posts, videos and more. These tips can help capture your audience and make sure your message resonates with them. I’m gonna’ call this “The 4 R’s of Ridiculously Great Content” and to get started creating content that will keep your audience riveted, watch the…

• Do You Know One of the Most Important Rules of SEO for Blogs?

  Matt Mansfield

  3 May 2013 | 3:00 am

  As business owners learn more about the rules of SEO, how to rank well in Google and the importance of content in their marketing strategy, it’s almost like a light bulb goes off in their head at some point. The thought goes something like this: “You mean, if I use my keyword 50 times in a 400-word piece of content, Google will rank me higher?” The answer: maybe, but not likely. You may see some short-term benefit in your rankings, and a correlation of a bit more traffic from a strategy like this. The benefits may not be worth the risk involved, however. Spammy, Keyword Stuffed Content…

• 5 Secrets To Writing Blog Posts People Will Actually Read

  Matt Mansfield

  19 Apr 2013 | 3:00 am

  It’s all so familiar. I sit down at the computer. I devote a little morning time to reading the latest industry posts. Time well spent. Except when it’s not. Some of the blog posts are awesome. They’re helpful, entertaining and useful. One of the primary goals of writing blog posts is to keep people coming back to read more and that’s no easy task. I’ll be honest. Some of the blog posts suck, and I don’t return to that blog. They suck for various reasons. One of the primary goals of writing blog posts is to keep people coming back to read more and that’s no easy task. In this…

• 3 Surefire Ways to Use Pinterest Analytics To Boost Your Social Media Marketing

  Matt Mansfield

  22 Mar 2013 | 3:00 am

  Only months after Pinterest opened itself to business accounts, the fourth largest social media platform just announced its latest release: the Pinterest analytics tool. Matt breaking in here: to learn more about Pinterest in general, check out my post, “Why Pinterest is Your Business’ New Best Friend“. With this social media analytics tool, tracking social media marketing results for your small business just got easier. Pinterest analytics provides many more details (about Pinterest) than other social media analytics tools. Companies now have access to more in depth knowledge…

• Is This the Beginning of the End for LinkedIn Groups?

  Matt Mansfield

  8 Mar 2013 | 3:00 am

  This post may start off like a bit of a rant (and it is), but reading to the end will help you understand the business risks of depending on LinkedIn groups from here on out. Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of LinkedIn groups. LinkedIn groups has been great…until now. I’ve been an active member of about 50 groups for over three years now and have found that it’s a great social network for connecting with businesses folks. Until now. Here’s What Happened About one-and-a-half months ago, I found that every time I posted a discussion to a LinkedIn group, I was…

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  Cath Lawson

• Protecting Your Professional License

  admin

  2 May 2013 | 2:44 pm

  If you are a licensed professional, such as a doctor, nurse, or teacher, you have undoubtedly poured your time, efforts, and finances to reaching this position in your career. However, for a variety of different reasons, professionals experience threats to their professional licenses that threaten their careers. A challenge to your professional career can be a nuisance at best, but at worst, could result in the revocation of your license and possibly the end of your work in your chosen career field. However, it is important to remember that if your professional license has been threatened in…

• What Marketers Need To Know About Dealing With Insurance Companies

  C L

  11 Feb 2013 | 9:08 am

  An automobile accident can be a very frustrating and stressful time in your life. Dealing with potential injuries, car repairs, and your insurance company can be overwhelming, especially if you have never been in an accident before. Fortunately, there are a few points to remember when dealing with your insurance company. What NOT to Say A number of people are under the impression that your insurance company should be one of the first calls you make following an accident. This is not the case. The emotions surrounding an accident could seriously influence how you remember the details and also…

• Law SEO For 2013

  C L

  23 Jan 2013 | 7:28 am

  In today’s legal environment, establishing and maintaining connections with clients is more important than ever. However, finding ways to effectively reach clients, particularly in highly-saturated media markets and with a decline in word-of-mouth as an effective tool for generating business, has increasingly become an extremely difficult task for many attorneys. Advertising, for this reason, has become essential to the strategies employed by many firms to attract new clientele. However, traditional advertising platforms, such as radio, television, print, and outdoor, have their own…

• Web Marketing For The Legal Space

  C L

  15 Jan 2013 | 5:22 am

  In an increasingly competitive market for legal representation, the struggle to find and convert clients through the effective use of advertising and marketing has morphed dramatically, with the vast majority of all legal clients finding their attorneys through web searches. This shift in the way that clients seek representation demands a corresponding shift in the way that law firms market themselves to potential clients, making various online marketing strategies such as search engine optimization the most powerful tools that a firm can bring to bear in the fight to distinguish themselves…

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  The Shoeboxed Blog

• Join Us at Paradoxos!

  Emily Farrar

  23 May 2013 | 11:05 am

  What are you doing June 6th and 7th? Join the Shoeboxed team at Paradoxos! Paradoxos is a two-day festival celebrating the power of ideas, collaboration, and what’s to come. Hosted in our hometown of Durham, NC, the event will bring together entrepreneurs, innovators and big thinkers from around the region and around the country. Shoeboxed is thrilled to be a taking part in the Paradoxos festivities and we’d love to see all of our great partners and users from the Triangle there! Members of the Shoeboxed team will be attending every Paradoxos event (find the full schedule on the…

• 3 Things Every Small Business Owner Should Know About Inventory Management

  Emily Farrar

  23 May 2013 | 7:22 am

  This post was contributed by Stitch Labs, providers of the must-have app for small businesses to manage inventory, orders, customers and more. Inventory management is the process of tracking the size and scope of your product. In everyday terms, it’s the thinking and organization surrounding your how much inventory and where it is. Entire college courses are devoted to inventory management, but there are three things every small business person must know about inventory management: #1 Why Inventory Management is Important Good inventory management helps you answer important questions about…

• Our 10 Top Tools to Help You Go Paperless

  Emily Farrar

  22 May 2013 | 7:25 am

  There has never been a better time for your office to go paperless! Whether you’re a solopreneur, freelancer or small business owner, a paperless work environment saves time and money, helps you get organized, and makes a major contribution towards protecting the environment. The best part is, thanks to paperless productivity apps and organization hacks, going completely paperless is utterly painless. In fact, you’ll start to wonder how you managed to get anything done during the dark ages of paper. Check out these awesome apps and products that will make your dream to go paperless a…

• Your Most Organized Office Ever!

  Emily Farrar

  21 May 2013 | 8:18 am

  Creating and maintaining an organized office gives you much more than bragging rights. Whether you work in a traditional setting with 20+ employees, or a home office where it’s just you and the dog, an organized office space will help you save time, work more efficiently, and focus more of your energy on generating leads and converting those leads to sales. The Tools The first step toward increasing organizational efficiency at the office is collecting the proper tools. Office supplies used to include Post-it notes, files folders, printer paper, and buckets of White-Out. Today, the most…

• Thank You from Shoeboxed Customer Support

  Emily Farrar

  20 May 2013 | 12:20 pm

  We just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who filled out our recent customer support survey! We sincerely appreciate you taking a few minutes out of your day to let us know how we’re doing and how we can improve. We read all of your responses and will be using them to make our support department better. The two main comments we received were that we can improve our Help Desk articles and provide more detailed responses to customers’ questions, so we’re focusing on those two improvements and hope you see the change over the coming months. We will send around another…

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  smallbusinessfinanceforum.com

• One Year Lived – The $19,420.68 Business Lesson

  Nicole Fende

  11 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  Adam Shepard calls himself an author, speaker, and instigator. Instigator? Hmmm… color me intrigued. Small business owners, particularly entrepreneurs, tend to walk their own path. Our very natures demand we share insights and ideas that some consider odd or downright crazy. An instigator should fit right in. But a travel book? While I personally love traveling what the heck did this have to do with business? Or in my case small business finance? Everything. And yes I was surprised by that. Let’s dig into… Adam Shepard’s $19,420.68 Business Lesson   When Adam…

• Boost Your Blog’s Traffic & Profit with Blog Engage

  Nicole Fende

  28 Feb 2013 | 2:02 pm

  You have a blog for your business. Great! Has anyone read it? Does anyone (other than your mom) know it exists? Maybe you do get traffic, but the comments look like the message at the end of that childhood telephone game – garbled beyond recognition. And all the so-called authors have linked back to some sort of spammy site. Generating targeted traffic to your website is a crucial component of online success. But who has the time? Or the budget?   Blog Engage is a Cost Effective Way to Drive Real Traffic I’ve been using the services of Blog Engage for nearly two years now. As…

• Hitting the Wall – Motivation for Small Biz to Reach Your Profit Goals

  Nicole Fende

  29 Jan 2013 | 9:46 pm

  Every runner on the planet knows what it’s like to “hit the wall”. Your legs are filled with lead. Your lungs have shrunk to the size of a pea. Visions of cold water dance in your head. All you want to do is just give up. Every small business owner, entrepreneur, and freelancer hits the wall.   Your new business leads have dried up like the Sahara Desert. Your cash is flowing out, not in. The grass must be greener somewhere, anywhere else. All you want to do is just give up. Experienced runners know, if you can just hang in a little longer it does get easier.

• BHAG Monster Gets New Home – Jennifer “Scraps” Walker

  Nicole Fende

  14 Sep 2012 | 10:08 am

  Sadly, it was time for the BHAG Monster (Big Hairy Audacious Goal Monster) to leave for his new home. BHAG was sent to me by Tea Silvestre, The Word Chef, in recognition of completing my book How to be a Finance Rock Star. Once BHAG finished hanging out with Fluffy the Finance Feline (there’s video evidence right here), I was to pick another worthy achievement and send him on. Heavy with the burden of choosing a worth participant (am I laying it on a bit thick?), I looked far and wide for the right person. I realized the perfect choice was right under my nose. Jennifer…

• Using Community to Power Profits

  Nicole Fende

  29 Aug 2012 | 8:27 am

  As a small business owner do you feel alone? Frustrated? Wishing for a regular 9 to 5 job (horror!) simply to enjoy some water cooler talk? Perhaps you dream of your own, super successful, online tribe. I’ve always wondered if those exclusive, VIP, secret entrance, James Bond-esque clubs exist. Do I need a single use drop box to join? *Ahem* Back to business. Water cooler discussions, and their online equivalents, continue to exist because they serve a purpose. They build community. Managed properly that community can be an asset. Be warned – mismanaged, bloated, or neglected…

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  Home Based Business Ideas

• Internet Based Business Prosperity Hints Unveiled

  DanielNBrown

  18 May 2013 | 10:43 pm

  Have you ever before offered any consideration to beginning your own internet based business? A surprisingly huge portion of the workforce is now “tele-commuting.” Some are splitting time between a conventional office and a home office. The idea of working down the hall in your pajamas every morning definitely has appeal, but there are a [...]

• Expert Tips To Aid With Your Search Engine Optimization Needs

  DanielNBrown

  12 May 2013 | 11:41 pm

  The greater the Internet gets, the lesser your business might look in the overall scheme of things. Once you follow the methods from this write-up, you can be ahead of your rivals in terms of being noticed by potential website visitors. Excellent content will do you little good with no audience. Here are several ways [...]

• Strategies To Make Sure Your Article Promotion Works

  DanielNBrown

  6 May 2013 | 11:41 pm

  The basic principles of article promotion are easy to learn when you have a passion to write. From choosing professionals to supply your articles, to discovering how it works; this short article can settle several of your concerns, and show you how you could benefit from article writing. Make certain you edit your posts before [...]

• Ehical At Home Business Opporunity with SendOutCards

  DanielNBrown

  30 Apr 2013 | 11:41 pm

  Being in the right place at the right time can no doubt be the one thing that will make all the difference in the world. How would you like to have been an investor in Netflix, in Amazon or in iTunes … prior to when they went BIGTIME? These businesses, instead of fighting marketplace advancements [...]

• Get Farther With These Search Engine Marketing Tips

  DanielNBrown

  24 Apr 2013 | 11:41 pm

  Optimizing your site for the major search engines may be smart, but usually do not handle it the wrong way! There are tons of fly-by-night SEO and internet marketing businesses around who charge high costs for sloppy work. Research and browse testimonials about what other individuals need to say with regards to their testimonials then [...]

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  ReachLocal Blog: Online Marketing to Reach Local Customers

• Are Customers Choosing Your Competitors Over You?

  23 May 2013 | 9:53 am

  “There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton As a business owner, you know that attracting prospects and turning them into customers is the lifeblood of any company. But have you ever thought about why someone would choose a competitor over you? If you’ve ever lost a prospect to a competitor (it happens to the best of them), there are several likely culprits. Check out five reasons you’re losing business to your competitors and what you can do…

• 4 Signs You Are Making Your Customers Angry & What To Do About It

  21 May 2013 | 10:37 am

  Your online reputation helps build a strong foundation when it comes to potential customers choosing your business over competitors. In fact, according to one survey, 88% of respondents’ purchasing decisions were affected by the positive or negative reviews they read. But if you aren’t doing everything you can to ensure that what’s being said about you online is positive, then you could possibly upset potential customers before they even get to experience your business for themselves.  Here are four telling signs that you need to take a hard look at your business’…

• 7 Popular Types of Social Media Fans [Infographic]

  17 May 2013 | 9:09 am

  What do all of your social media fans and followers have in common? They follow you on your social media sites. Aside from that, your social media fans can range dramatically – from the fans who like, retweet, or repin every one of your updates seconds after you post it to the angry “fans” who follow you only to share their bad customer experience. However, by understanding the different types of consumers on social media, you can determine the best type of engaging content to post in order to get them to take action and share your content. This infographic features seven of…

• 7 Tips for Recovering from a Bad Customer Experience

  14 May 2013 | 9:31 am

  As much as every business would love for each of its customers to have an excellent experience each time they do business with them, in the real world, that’s not always how it works. Even the best brands and businesses have customers who, from time to time, have a less-than-positive experience – for a variety of reasons. So, here are seven tips for how to recover when a customer has a bad experience with your business. 1) Address the Complaint Quickly Today, a customer may complain at the time of service or wait to make a phone call or email the business. Whenever and however a…

• I'm Doing Search Advertising, Now What? 5 Ways to Get Conversions from Your Site

  10 May 2013 | 8:59 am

  Getting a searcher to visit your website or landing page is only half the battle when it comes to search engine advertising. Once someone visits your site, you now have to incent them to contact you. From a marketing standpoint, this means converting them from a prospect to a lead, and from a lead to a customer. But, this isn’t always easy, nor is it a single-step process. In fact, conversion requires some time and effort on your part to optimize your site to drive contacts, track your results, and follow up with your best leads so they buy from you. Whether you are trying to get more…

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  Women Unlimited

• Do you know your entrepreneur style profile?

  Samantha Clarke

  23 May 2013 | 1:15 am

  At Zukuri UnLtd, we’ve created 6 key Entrepreneur Style Profiles to help you pick clothes that suit your working lifestyle, highlight your ‘style sleeve’ values and resonate with your clients. For this series I’m going to talk through – The People Person, The Traditionalist, The Homeworker and The Creative Hipster Below are the First 2 entrepreneur style profiles, have a look and take note of the ‘visual conversations’ of each. These can give you cues for your clothing choices, and how you assemble your outfit when you meet your next client. 1. THE PEOPLE PERSON…

• Finally decided to revamp your website?

  Keren Lerner

  21 May 2013 | 1:15 am

  So, you’ve had the inkling that you need to upgrade or revamp your website for a while, and finally you have decided, let’s get this done. Once you’ve decided, it’s full speed ahead! Your website is an important part of your marketing, the central hub of your website presence, and it will take time and money to create a successful site that does all you need it to. To help you along, I have written these 7 things your website designer should do and know to ensure a successful outcome. 1. Plan a site structure based on your business objectives Websites have to be made for…

• 7 Top tips for producing events that generate sales

  Michelle Daniels

  20 May 2013 | 1:15 am

  Budget cutbacks have prompted some businesses to scale back on the events they run. That’s not to say though that events can’t contribute positively to your marketing and sales targets. Done well they can create a great environment to generate positive face-to-face contact with potential and existing customers. They can help you distinguish your business from others and, in the age where recommendations rule, impressed customers can work on your behalf to influence others to buy from you. But what sort of events are we talking about here and what tips can we share? Just for the purpose…

• Value add: How to keep your clients coming back for more!

  Carole Bozkurt

  16 May 2013 | 1:30 am

  The one thing above all else that successful businesses do, is to add value so that their clients keep coming back for more. It doesn’t have to be unique, but giving your clients something that they really want, and doing so more effectively than your competitors, is a powerful asset for any business.  So how do you know if your services or products are adding the right kind of value to your existing and prospective clients? What does value mean to your clients? The first thing you need to do is ask yourself, ‘What value do your services or products create for your clients?’ Then ask,…

• 4 Steps to turn your ‘someday’ dream into reality

  Emma Gwillim

  14 May 2013 | 1:15 am

  Have you ever caught yourself having the same daydream over and over again?  I’m not talking so much about a ‘diet coke break’ daydream, as the “someday I’ll….” daydream. Someday I’ll… start that business Someday I’ll… train and compete in the marathon Someday I’ll… open my own coffee shop What’s yours?  And how long have you been day-dreaming about it?  Can I be frank?  If you’re day-dreaming and NOT taking any action, you may as well kiss goodbye to ever making it a reality.  No business.  No marathon medal.  No coffee shop. Don’t let time pass with…

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  Firefly Coaching

• Insider Tips for Getting Started with YouTube: Your Channel, Videos, & Views

  Stephanie Ward

  17 May 2013 | 1:29 am

  As a business owner if you’re not using video you’re missing out on an enormous opportunity. In this video I will share with you how to get started with YouTube. I’ll show you how to set up your very own channel, give you tips for your videos, and tell you how to get more people to watch your videos (views). Click here to view the embedded video. Here are instructions on how to set up your own YouTube Channel. Learn more about how to get started with video by checking out my additional Video Tips. Share your questions and experiences with video below in the comments…

• Technology Tips for Small Business Owners

  Stephanie Ward

  14 May 2013 | 3:47 am

  Jim Blue interviewed me for BlogTalkRadio to get my take on technology tips for small business owners. Listen to internet radio with Jim Blue on BlogTalkRadio Share your top tech tips or questions below in the comments section. Technology Tips for Small Business Owners is a post from: Firefly Coaching Technology Tips for Small Business Owners is a post from: Firefly Coaching

• Why All Clients Are Not Equal

  Stephanie Ward

  3 May 2013 | 1:37 am

      As a business owner you know that it costs anywhere from 5 to 7 times more to get a new client than to keep an existing client. But beyond the cost, there is also inherent value in knowing more about your existing clients. And knowing which of your clients are the best, and worst, you can save yourself an enormous amount of time, energy, and stress as well as make you more money. Your best clients are no trouble, they pay on time and most likely they are loyal and eager to give you referrals. Your worst clients drain your time, don’t pay on time, are demanding, and probably…

• Shortcuts to Feeling Confident: Tips for Business Owners

  Stephanie Ward

  19 Apr 2013 | 1:21 am

  As a business owner, there are times when you may not feel so confident. In this short video (less than 3 minutes) I’ll share simple tips to help you feel more confident in a flash. Click here to view the embedded video. For additional tips about how to deal with fear, read my post: How to Overcome This Four Letter Word in Business. What do you do when you need to feel more confident? Share your ideas in the comments section below. Shortcuts to Feeling Confident: Tips for Business Owners is a post from: Firefly Coaching Shortcuts to Feeling Confident: Tips for Business Owners is a post…

• 5 Low-Cost Ways to Get Clients Now

  Stephanie Ward

  16 Apr 2013 | 8:21 am

  You Want More Clients Now, I Can Help You Get Them Is your marketing taking too long not bringing you the results you want? Is it costing you too much money? You want low-cost and super-fast ways to attract more clients that work, and I want to share them with you in brand new webinar I’ve created. I’ve talked about most of these strategies in various blog posts and videos but I’ve never put all of them together in one place. And I’ve never gone into this much detail before on each strategy. The strategies I’m going to share with you will get you into immediate action and…

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  Smart Simple Marketing - Practical Strategies for Creating a Highly Successful Small Business

• 7 Easy Ways To Increase Your Income With Past Clients

  Sydni Craig-Hart

  22 May 2013 | 5:29 pm

  Studies consistently show that clients who have purchased from you once are likely to do so again, IF they are given the opportunity to do so.  In fact, INC magazine says that Acquiring new customers is expensive (five to ten times the cost of retaining an existing one), and the average spend of a repeat customer is a whopping 67 percent more than a new one." If you take a moment to think back on your best client experiences, the ones that got best results and who you enjoyed working with the most, wouldn’t it be great to have the opportunity to work with them again? Keep in mind; it’s…

• The Solution To A Lack of Leads, Clients or Consistent Income

  Sydni Craig-Hart

  15 May 2013 | 9:00 am

  Many businesses have characteristics that are similar to any stock market in the world; there are ups and downs. When you experience a downturn, the culprit may be a slow drip of revenue, which means a slow drip of closed business from very few leads. Your goal, then, is to get in front of more leads, convert leads to clients and create systems around making this your business habit. Here's how you do it: Not enough leads – This is an issue with visibility. Quite frankly, not enough people know about what you offer and your ideal prospects don’t see you as a solution to the challenges…

• Uncovering “Hidden” Profits In Your Business

  Sydni Craig-Hart

  8 May 2013 | 9:00 am

  Every (and I do mean EVERY) business – including yours – has the potential to be immediately more profitable. Unfortunately, many times we are unable to see the opportunities in front of us because we buried in the minutia of our daily task list. So how do you dig out the hidden treasure in your business? How do you tap into those "well... duh!" opportunities that are right in front of you? Here are a few areas of business to investigate: 1. What prospective clients didn’t convert to paid clients? – It’s easy to get emotional and take it personally when a lead doesn’t turn into a…

• Spring Clean Your Marketing For Success

  Sydni Craig-Hart

  6 May 2013 | 7:42 am

  Just like closets and cupboards, marketing strategies and assets can accumulate clutter over the course of the year – It’s time for some spring cleaning. My friends over at PR Web shared with me three great tips on how to make sure your marketing is current, polished, and efficient: 1. Clean up your lists Bounced back and duplicate emails are ineffective and can damage your goodwill with customers, journalists and other stakeholders. Go through your lists to verify that names, email addresses and other information are still current. Delete inactive addresses as well as duplicate or…

• How to Avoid Missing Out On the Exact Opportunities You’re Looking For

  Sydni Craig-Hart

  1 May 2013 | 4:21 pm

  I often see entrepreneurs looking at their proverbial glass as half empty instead of half full. They might say: If I only had the connections that person has... If I only had the experience that person has... If I only had the personality that person has... The list could go on and on. This type of thinking can sabotage a person in many ways, but perhaps the most critical is that it can cause you to overlook priceless opportunities that are available right in front of you. Instead of focusing what you don't have, focus on what you DO have. What connections DO you have? What experience DO you…

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  Subscribe to the Success Center!

• The Love in Dark Places Kickstarter Ended But You Can Still Pledge!

  rod@rodkirby.com (Rod Kirby)

  6 May 2013 | 6:11 pm

  Tony and Alliesha – Concept Photography 3 30 days ago I launched a Kickstarter for my project, Love in Dark Places. Well, we fought the good fight, but we didn’t reach our funding goal. And you know what? That’s OK, we’re still on schedule to shoot our film in a couple of weeks! Running a Kickstarter campaign was definitely a challenge, but I’m glad I went for it. It was a learning experience and I’ve made a lot of new contacts because of it. Like I said, we’re still going to shoot our film this month. The Love in Dark Places script is ready, the…

• Contest: Win a Limited Edition Love in Dark Places Poster!

  rod@rodkirby.com (Rod Kirby)

  30 Apr 2013 | 5:59 pm

  There are only 5 days left in the Kickstarter for my next film, Love in Dark Places, but I’m celebrating early with a give away! One lucky fan has the chance to win a limited edition poster for the film. The poster is 22×36″, mounted on high quality foam board, and designed by yours truly. To enter the contest, all you have to do is share our Kickstarter on Facebook, Twitter, and watch the video that explains the story behind the campaign. That’s it! I’ll announce one randomly selected person to receive the poster (free shipping and all) this Friday May 3rd.

• Announcing the Cast of Love in Dark Places [Photos!]

  rod@rodkirby.com (Rod Kirby)

  16 Apr 2013 | 1:29 am

  In my last post I announced a new film and Kickstarter project called, Love in Dark Places. Well, after traveling to the highest mountain tops, traversing new and strange lands, we finally found our cast! I’m happy to present to you the cast of my latest film, Love in Dark Places. They consist of talented up-and-coming actors, actresses, and you should definitely keep an eye out for them in future projects. Trust me, there are hidden gems in this cast! I’m also happy because I can finally put a face to my lead characters, Tony and Alliesha who will be played by Princeton Echols…

• Love in Dark Places: Love, Sex, and the Power of God

  rod@rodkirby.com (Rod Kirby)

  8 Apr 2013 | 6:00 am

  Last month I started a Kickstater Launch Team for a new film project and have been working tirelessly getting it ready. Now, after what seems like an eternity of prep work, I’m finally ready to reveal my project. Introducing, Love in Dark Places! What is Love in Dark Places? Love in Dark Places is a film, book, and documentary that explores a troubling time in my life when I was addicted to having unprotected sex with prostitutes. You read that correctly. I’ve always been a Christian, but used to really struggle in this area of my Christian walk. What changed me was the love I…

• 3 Awesome Biblical Promises for Success and How to Receive Them!

  rod@rodkirby.com (Rod Kirby)

  1 Apr 2013 | 6:00 am

  If you’re familiar with the Bible then you know that God promises a whole to those that seek him, follow him, and accepts him as Lord over their lives.  2 Peter 1:4 New Living Translation (NLT) 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.  I’m a Christian entrepreneur not just because of what I believe, but primarily because what God has promised and done for me. I’m not writing this post to preach to…

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  Perfect Balance Marketing

• Generating Leads through LinkedIn

  Lucy Thornton

  4 May 2013 | 12:57 pm

  LinkedIn is used by more than 200 million people, offering millions of opportunities for you to connect with some great people. Here are some things you can do today to grow your network, generate leads, and build profitable and successful relationships through LinkedIn. Generating leads from LinkedIn 2013 from thorntonlucy What works for you on [...]

• 20 proven ways to improve your social media marketing

  Lucy Thornton

  2 May 2013 | 8:43 am

  Hubspot’s Dan Zarrella is a man who knows his social media marketing – and his years of research-based experience have revealed some surprising insights. Like….. putting your links 25% through your tweet will increase the likelihood of them being clicked. And….. Facebook pages that mention food tend to have more likes than the average Facebook [...]

• 41 Fresh Marketing Ideas for your Twitter account

  Lucy Thornton

  15 Apr 2013 | 11:10 pm

  Setting up a Twitter account takes less than five minutes (and more than 10 million of us in the UK have done it), but making it work for your business as a marketing tool takes a lot longer. The micro-blogging site has over 500,000 registered users worldwide, and around 150,000 new ones every day, so [...]

• Vine launches – best ways to use it for business marketing

  Lucy Thornton

  30 Jan 2013 | 2:39 am

  Twitter’s new video sharing app, Vine, was launched last week.  There aren’t many like it: simple apps, released with very little fanfare and publicity, that generate buzz. But Vine is one such innovation. Likened to Instagram but for video, it offers a simple way to give others an insight into your business, your life and [...]

• 4 ways social media makes your marketing easier

  Lucy Thornton

  23 Jan 2013 | 4:32 am

  Your products are fabulous.  Your customer service is second to none.  Your website is pretty good too (no need for modesty here) and your customers love you. But telling people who don’t already know about you can be expensive, and keeping in touch with those who do is not a straight forward process either. Luckily, [...]

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  Women Entrepreneurs - The Secrets of Success blog

• How Color Affects Your Marketing

  22 May 2013 | 9:30 pm

  by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Expert Copywriting Strategist The color of your message says more than you think.Color makes a statement in your life. It speaks to us, whether it attracts or repels. In fact, color is just another way we can communicate non-verbally. I’m here to tell you that color also subliminally influences how you spend your money.  Marketing experts tell us that color

• Kyna Baker CEO of 5 Star Business Management on Women Entrepreneurs Radio™

  22 May 2013 | 4:00 am

  Kyna Baker is Your Business Management Mentor, CEO of 5 Star Business Management, President of DVVAA (pronounced Diva) The Delaware Valley Virtual Assistant Association, and most important – mother of 4 and wife to 1! 5 Star Business Management has evolved into a company that focuses on helping coaches to be better managers of their business. We believe that the coaching industry is imperative

• Success and Mindset: 6 Ideas to Help You Stay on Track With Your Goals and Dreams

  20 May 2013 | 2:35 pm

  by Maritza Parra Most times your dreams are forgiving, as forgiving as your lawn. You can ignore it for a while, when you get discouraged and don't take any action towards your dreams, but if you start taking those small daily actions your dreams, like your lawn will respond.It's just like the green grass. If it doesn't get watered for a while, it turns yellow, you think it died and then

• Stop Comparing and Step Up To Lead

  15 May 2013 | 11:16 am

  by Barbara Saunders So many Solo Pros get caught up with looking at what others that offer a similar service are doing, but I’m going to encourage your to stop. When you start running your business by watching your competitors, you end up sabotaging your own business. Here’s why and how to step up and lead. Following your competitors can be bad for business because: You’re not selling

• Author Q&A: Financial Fresh Start by Shari Olefson Part 2

  14 May 2013 | 2:25 pm

  Shari Olefson, JD, LLM, author of Financial Fresh Start: Your Five-Step Plan for Adapting and Prospering in the New Economy and a Bar Certified Real Estate attorney and a Supreme Court Certified Mediator with degrees in finance and psychology, is stopping by the Secrets of Success blog again today for part two of our Q&A discussion. Deb Bailey: Hi, Shari. I'm excited to learn more about

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  Image Design Blog

• Sebastiao Salgado: The Silent Drama of Photography

  John Simoudis

  2 May 2013 | 12:48 pm

  Sebastiao Salgado is one of my favorite photographers. His images are simply transcendent. Taschen is about to publish a new book on his work called Genesis. I recently saw a sample of the book and it is simply stunning. It will definitely become a collectors' item, despite its steep price tag. Visit me at: www.simoudis.com

• Calligraphy is art

  John Simoudis

  28 Feb 2013 | 11:19 am

  Watch a master calligrapher at work. Visit me at: www.simoudis.com

• Nikon Capture NX2 Noise Reduction - Part 2

  John Simoudis

  31 Dec 2012 | 12:02 pm

  The most popular post on my blog is my post about my Noise Reduction process in Nikon Capture NX2. I decided that it might be better to share my settings as a file so here they are as a gift for the new year. Download them from here. If you share the link, please credit this blog. Thank you and Happy 2013.   Related articles  Weekly Nikon news flash #192(nikonrumors.com) Google Buys Nik Software(theonlinephotographer.typepad.com) Visit me at: www.simoudis.com

• Bergdorf Goodman Holiday Windows

  John Simoudis

  20 Dec 2012 | 7:27 pm

  As usual, the best. Visit me at: www.simoudis.com

• Get your business ready for the new year.

  John Simoudis

  7 Dec 2012 | 9:02 am

  As this year comes to a close - and thankfully no end-of-the-world has befallen us yet - I find it helpful to set some goals for my business before January 1st.   The new year often brings renewed enthusiasm about the possibility of starting fresh and not repeat mistakes made over the last 12 months. It also often brings scattered planning efforts and a lack of focus due to the possibility of a long list of things to accomplish.    Here's my plan for getting back into focus: Recommit to your business. The question that helps with this process is: Is my business' purpose…

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  Small-Business

• How an Entrepreneur Can be Open But Stay In Control

  mzwilling

  19 May 2013 | 6:30 am

  The emergence of social networking and the Internet has caused a new focus and value on “openness,” which leads to a new element of leadership, called “Open Leadership.” The mantra of open leadership is “Be Open, Be Transparent, and Be Authentic.” This is counter to the traditional business premise of “control,” so many companies are still pushing back. Charlene Li, in her book “ Open Leadership,” shows leaders how to tap into the power of the social technology revolution and use social media to be “open” while still maintaining control. I support her ten elements of…

• Six Tips to Enhance Your Job Interviewing Skills

  ssolovic

  19 May 2013 | 5:59 am

  True confession.  I’m horrible at interviewing job candidates.  “Susan, you can’t run a successful business without learning how to conduct a good interview,” a friend and fellow business owner recently told me. Why am I not good at interviewing job candidates when as a journalist I interview people all the time?  Probably because I don’t focus on the task as much as I should.  With several job candidates to interview in the next few weeks, my friend offered to lend a hand.  So here are some tips he shared with me and I am passing them along to you. 1. …

• #227 Tim Carroll, Trevor Blake, Barbara Trautlein – May 17,2013

  bmoltz

  17 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Schedule Guests: Tim Carroll, Michelle McCullough, Trevor Blake, Barbara Trautlein, Josh Lesavoy, Jon Eggelton Sponsored by Nextiva and Sage Solutions. Nextiva | Sage 50 | Small Business | Sales | Marketing Read Original Post

• Run a Successful Business…In Your Pajamas

  mhartzell

  16 May 2013 | 8:57 am

  Today, it is possible to run a successful business in your pajamas thanks to advances in technology.  Beyond just the convenience of running your business on the go, ditching the formality of an office setting offers a plethora of benefits.  From flexibility in scheduling, significant savings in overhead costs, the reduce of stress, and the fact that no one has to worry about lengthy commutes getting in the way of a productive day, more people are picking up on this phenomenon.  A recent survey of over 3,000 business owners found that many believe that by 2023, most businesses…

• 9 Steps to Entrepreneur Real Social Media Results

  mzwilling

  5 May 2013 | 6:03 am

  If you are an entrepreneur these days, or trying to grow an existing business, everyone is telling you that you need to use social media. There are many ‘experts’ out there telling you how to do it, or even offering their services. But very few are talking about how to measure your results, and the right metrics for optimizing your marketing environment. Jim Sterne, who has written many books on Internet advertising, marketing, and customer service, tackled this complex world of social media metrics in his book titled " Social Media Metrics." He has one of the first books on…

• 

  Creative Inspiration by Vistaprint

• 2013 Wedding Trends: Roaring 20′s

  Kristen Johnson

  22 May 2013 | 11:03 am

  One of the biggest wedding trends this year is the 1920s vintage look. This 2013 trend  has only increased in popularity due to Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby, which hit the cinemas last week, showcasing the timeless beauty and decadence of 1920s fashion. The fashion style of the 20’s was romantic. It included dropped waist lines, unique head pieces and lots and lots of lace. Art Deco, which first appeared during the 1920s, can serve as the perfect backdrop for a 1920s vintage wedding, from the deep colors, ornamental décor and bold geometric shapes. If you want your wedding to look and…

• 2013 Wedding Trends: Love Birds Wedding

  Kristen Johnson

  21 May 2013 | 12:21 pm

  Bird themed weddings continue to grow in popularity this year. The ‘love bird’ theme can be incorporated into weddings by tossing bird seed, using bird cages as card holders or centerpieces, and sending out bird themed wedding invitations. Brides have also showcased the bird theme by adding feathered hair pieces and bird-inspired jewelry to their wedding day look. Would you consider having a ‘love birds’ wedding? Our latest Pinterest board has all the inspiration you need to make it happen! If you would like this design for your wedding invitations, head on over to…

• 2013 Wedding Trends: Ombre

  Kristen Johnson

  14 May 2013 | 12:41 pm

  Ombre is a current trend for hair color, clothing, jewelry, and of course, weddings! In fashion terms, ombre refers to the color graduation in a garment from light to dark. For weddings, the ombre trend is popping up in bridal dresses, table decorations, flowers and even wedding invitations. The ombre look is easy to incorporate and gives an elegant but dramatic impression. For some creative ideas for incorporating the ombre trend into your wedding day, be sure to check out our Pinterest board! If you want the Ombre design for your wedding invitations, you can find them at Vistaprint!

• 2013 Wedding Trends: Grey and Yellow

  Kristen Johnson

  7 May 2013 | 1:00 pm

  It’s no surprise that the grey and yellow wedding theme is popping up all over this year. This trendy wedding color combination is incredibly eye-catching, especially if you are planning a spring or summer wedding. If you are looking for ways to incorporate the grey and yellow wedding trend into your special day, take a peek at our Pinterest board! For matching grey and yellow wedding invitations, look no further than Vistaprint!

• 2013 Wedding Trends: Rustic Chic Wedding

  Kristen Johnson

  30 Apr 2013 | 12:05 pm

  Rustic weddings are popping up left and right this year, taking place in the woods, in a barn or even at the beach! The idea of a rustic wedding is to incorporate the beauty and elegance of nature into everything from your table settings to your wedding invitations. Rustic weddings are especially popular for the DIY Bride because most rustic wedding projects are quite inexpensive and utilize natural elements for decorations. Rustic wedding decor would not be complete without an abundance of mason jars and floral arrangements wrapped in burlap and lace. If you are looking for inspiration for a…

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  Constant Contact Blogs

• How to Make the Change to a Mobile-Friendly Email

  Ryan Pinkham

  23 May 2013 | 9:30 am

  We all know that change can be difficult. It’s true in life and it’s certainly true when it comes to marketing your business or organization. You find something that works, you invest time, energy, and resources into improving it, and then one day someone tells you stop and rethink everything that you’ve been doing. It can be frustrating to say the least. But we all know that change can be a good thing as well. Most likely, you’ve made some pretty significant changes in the way you market your business already. And while you might not be thrilled at the prospect of having to…

• How to Make a Big Ask Even if You’re a Small Nonprofit

  Miranda Paquet

  22 May 2013 | 7:06 am

  Here’s something we could all stand to be reminded of from time to time: asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. But even if you know that’s true, it’s still easy to feel intimidated when you’re making a BIG ask. Boston-based nonprofit, Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG), is a mentoring organization that positively impacts thousands of young girls and women across the nation. All with just 12 full-time staff members. Their three tier mentoring program focuses on using relationships, skills, and role models to empower girls and women to succeed as leaders of their…

• Three Tips to Help Your Sales Soar

  Susan Solovic

  21 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  No matter what type of business you’re in, you’re in the business of selling. And many small business owners admittedly don’t like sales. They are passionate about their product or service, but when it comes to closing deals, they fall short. Why? Often it’s the fear of rejection. But good sales people view “no” as a mere objection they will fight to overcome, not a reason to stop trying. How do you face rejection and keep your confidence level high? For the most part, you must have a thick skin. The sales game is a game of a law of averages — the more sales presentations…

• Google I/O 2013: Our Thoughts [Speakeasy #41 - Hangout Edition]

  Dave Charest

  20 May 2013 | 9:00 am

  What’s in this episode? 20 minutes of marketing awesomeness. 1. This week’s topic: Google I/O Developer Conference 2013 Google I/O is an annual  developer-focused conference featuring in-depth technical sessions focused on building web, mobile, and enterprise applications with Google and open web technologies. We’re joined by Constant Contact’s lead mobile architect, Danny Espinoza, who attended the conference and shares his insights and key takeaways. We also discuss the new redesign of Google+, thoughts on Google Glass, and the new Hangouts app. Watch the Hangout:…

• [VIDEO] Learn How to Grow Your Business with Email and Social Media

  Azure Collier

  20 May 2013 | 6:51 am

  Small businesses have a lot of choices when it comes to digital marketing tools they can use to engage customers and grow referrals. But what channels do you choose? Many small businesses and organizations find themselves seeking the right strategies, tools and tactics to make their marketing efforts as effective as possible. But between Facebook and Twitter, email and mobile, deals, and whatever new social network is rolling out that month, there’s a lot to keep up with. And there are only so many hours in each day. The number of possibilities can feel overwhelming. Our recorded webcast…

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  UBC - a place of mind

• Early Childhood Development Program improves lives of kids in developing nations

  23 May 2013 | 10:29 am

  Dr. Dharamsi chats with the Vancouver Sun Blog Network/Community about the work he did as former Regional Program Director of the Aga Khan Foundation’s Madrasa Early Childhood Development Program in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) and how it helps improve the lives of kids in these developing countries. [Read more]

• Industry Overview: Restaurants

  23 May 2013 | 8:47 am

  Restaurants are found in both rural and urban communities and are consistently a popular start-up idea. read more

• All hail the mighty phage! #greatillustration

  23 May 2013 | 8:21 am

  “BATTLING THE BACTERIOPHAGE” BY ANDREW KOLB Via Fresh Photons

• Rejection

  22 May 2013 | 2:37 pm

  Here’s what’s up: I didn’t get in English Honours. Nothing left to say, really, except that cliche quotation I saw back then from The Sound of Music. “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” Now I’m … Continue reading → Continue reading →

• Second Year in Review

  22 May 2013 | 12:59 pm

  It’s hard to believe I’m already done the second year of my university degree. Heck, it’s hard to believe that it’s nearly June! Looking back on the past year, I can see that I have grown immensely in many ways. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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  makemoneyhomebusinesscenter.com

• How To Post Free ads on Backpage With the a Auto Classified Ad Poster

  admin

  23 May 2013 | 3:01 pm

  If You Would Like to get the Back Page Auto Poster Get It Here . . . http://www.empowernetwork.com/themarketingcurve/how-to-use-the-backpage-viral-auto-class…

• How To Post Free ads on Backpage With the a Auto Classified Ad Poster

  admin

  23 May 2013 | 3:01 pm

  If You Would Like to get the Back Page Auto Poster Get It Here . . . http://www.empowernetwork.com/themarketingcurve/how-to-use-the-backpage-viral-auto-class…

• TOP QUALITY 4.04 Carat Diamond Tennis Bracelet Solid 18K Gold – Untreated Diamonds

  admin

  23 May 2013 | 3:00 pm

  http://stores.ebay.com/certifiedjewelry You can see this stunning item and other amazing jewelry treasures on eBay auctions selling daily. Click on the link … Video Rating: 5 / 5

• WS Internationalized Domain Names

  admin

  23 May 2013 | 2:58 pm

  one internet,one world.

• Calavera Hills Middle School – Math Madness

  admin

  23 May 2013 | 2:57 pm

  O.E.P. Carlsbad Unified School District Chamber of Commerce Outstand Educators Finalists Videos. Video Rating: 0 / 5

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  Cash Protection Agency Ltd

• Payday lenders fail to carry out customer credit checks

  admin

  22 May 2013 | 1:44 am

  Photo Credit: Images_of_Money via Compfight cc   You might think that payday loan providers would lead by example, by protecting their own finances against bad debts.   However, Citizens Advice has found that many payday lenders are failing to carry out even the most basic credit checks on their customers, making it impossible for them to know whether the debtor can afford their repayments.   In the payday loan industry, where interest rates become punitive very quickly if the debt is not repaid, this could have adverse consequences for the typical borrower.   According to…

• Repossession rate remains steady for fourth quarter

  Bob Bardsley

  20 May 2013 | 1:44 am

  Photo Credit: Yersinia via Compfight cc   The latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders shows a steady rate of repossessions for the fourth quarter in a row, as January-March 2013 saw 0.07% of properties taken under possession.   As a quarterly average, that represents less than one property per 1,400 under mortgages, and its stability is reflected in the arrears rate too.   Nearly 160,000 mortgages were in arrears at the end of the first quarter, where the arrears totalled 2.5% or more of the total amount owed on the mortgage.   At 1.4% of all mortgages,…

• Knowing your customer and why credit checks are vital

  admin

  8 May 2013 | 4:06 am

  Photo Credit: Fosforix via Compfight cc   In the recent months we have seen some established companies go into liquidation. 90 year old companies that you would have had no hesitation in opening an account with an unlimited credit limit probably without credit checking them because of their size and status are now in liquidation.   It is key to credit check your existing clients on a regular basis. You may have a long standing client that you think would never default, however their payments are becoming increasingly late and you are finding that you may have to ring them or send…

• Endowment mortgage time-bomb: What they’re saying

  Bob Bardsley

  7 May 2013 | 5:59 am

  Photo Credit: Tax Credits via Compfight cc   The newly formed Financial Conduct Authority has warned that one in five holders of interest-only mortgages are uncertain that they will be able to pay off their loan at the end of its term.   More than a third believe that they will face a shortfall between the outstanding amount owed, and their current strategies for repayment – including, but not limited to, endowment policies.   The average expected shortfall is £22,100, but in 15% of cases it could be over £50,000, while 33% of those who expect a shortfall believe it…

• 9 in 10 overdraft applications and renewals successful in 2012

  Bob Bardsley

  7 May 2013 | 5:48 am

  Photo Credit: nicola.albertini via Compfight cc   The vast majority of small to medium-sized enterprises found it possible to gain credit through an overdraft arrangement in 2012, according to the SME Finance Monitor from BDRC Continental.   In the latest 2012 end-of-year report from the ongoing data series, BDRC reports that 73% of new overdraft applications were approved last year.   Coupled with overdraft renewals that did not require fresh applications, that takes the success rate to 90%, meaning just one in ten firms that sought lending in the form of an overdraft were…

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  Small Biz Advisor » Group Benefits

• Employee Q&A: Drug claims

  Dave Patriarche, Mainstay Insurance Brokerage Inc.

  23 May 2013 | 9:17 am

  During employee meetings advisors are often asked about problems that staff encounter while submitting drug claims. While ...

• MNDs cause 40% drop in employee productivity

  Staff

  23 May 2013 | 8:33 am

  The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) have launched the ‘Do You Mind?’ ...

• The biggest drawback to wellness programs

  Danielle Arbuckle

  21 May 2013 | 10:15 am

  Whether it’s offering a lunch and learn on better eating habits or subsidizing employee gym ...

• Get unhealthy employees to use wellness programs

  Danielle Arbuckle

  21 May 2013 | 10:10 am

  Wellness programs are a valuable tool for employers to improve the health of their employees ...

• AB, SK & NB announce more drug cost control measures

  Staff

  21 May 2013 | 9:48 am

  On April 1, 2013 nine provinces and three territories announced they would cap the price ...

• 

  Small Business Bliss

• Not blogging? You’re wasting your time on social media!

  Martina

  17 May 2013 | 9:05 am

  This is a guest post by the fabulous Sarah Santacroce from Simplicity – Simple Small Business Solutions When Martina asked me if I’d like to write a post for her blog I was of course thrilled and immediately started thinking about possible topics. We agreed that I’d write about ‘Blogging’ and my first thought was to tell you about the benefits of blogging. But that’s boring, right? So that’s why I chose a more dramatic approach Here we go: Social Media to create Buzz? When I get contacted by a prospect I often hear ‘Sarah, I want you to create buzz for my business on Social…

• What is your “About” page really about?

  Martina

  13 May 2013 | 11:41 am

  All of the pages of your website are important – not just your homepage.  An often overlooked page is the “About” page. Is this you? “Meh, who cares about me, really? I’ll just jot down a few little things, and then focus on my homepage and product/service/purchase pages.” But have you ever thought of the fact that, for some people, your About page might be their entrance to your site (maybe if they’ve found you off a Google search that connected to your About page)?  Or for some customers, they may surf over to your About page before they consider…

• How I started my small business… a personal story and journey

  Martina

  6 May 2013 | 1:36 pm

  It was the same thing every weekday morning. I would wake up with this horrible sense of dread. Sometimes there were tears. I had to go to work. And I was miserable. It didn’t start off this way. When I got the job, I was jazzed. I was tasked with managing the creation of a new company website. And if I do say so myself, it’s awesome. I loved the process. Worked with a killer web design team. Had a blast writing the content. Had visions of blogging and email newsletters dancing in my head. The website launched. But it soon became clear that leveraging it, updating it, loving it, was not…

• The secret sauce for marketing success…YOU!

  Martina

  26 Apr 2013 | 4:50 pm

  So you’re looking to buy something. A product. Or a service. You might end up on a website. Or a social media profile. Yes, you’re looking for product info. But you’re also probably looking for something a little more… …who are these people? …what makes them tick? …what makes them different from the last business I just checked out? …how do they run their business? And most importantly of all… why should I buy from them? Sometimes entrepreneurs make the mistake of pretending to be something they’re not because they believe this will bring them sales.  This is a big no-no…

• Keeping your WordPress website safe

  Martina

  17 Apr 2013 | 2:46 pm

  Friday morning was a bit of a wacky one. Went to login into my blog to have a quick check in. Couldn’t login in and had a minor panic. After a bit of frantic Google searching, decided to have a peek over at my web host (Go Daddy) to see what was going on (*note to self, always check with web host first before assuming the worst ) and sure enough, they had locked all users out of WordPress sites until further notice due to a major worldwide hacker attack. OK cool, I can live with that. Shifted into work mode. I help to manage the social media presence for a fairly large Canadian web host…

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  High Impact Business Success Tips

• The NEWS about SEO from Google [video] - Spammers Beware!

  ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell)

  22 May 2013 | 10:03 am

  There is good news for legitimate business owners and entrepreneurs in regards to Google and SEO. (Search Engine Optimization)  Matt Cutts talks about how Google is going after black-hat and link spammers this summer in a recent video on Youtube.  He announced nine things that Google will do within the next months.  There is an underlying message:  Spammers beware! How do these changes affect the position of your web pages in Google’s search results and what can you do to protect your rankings? You are a business owner and don't have the time or resources to leverage the…

• Run a Successful Business…In Your Pajamas

  ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell)

  16 May 2013 | 8:57 am

  Today, it is possible to run a successful business in your pajamas thanks to advances in technology.  Beyond just the convenience of running your business on the go, ditching the formality of an office setting offers a plethora of benefits.  From flexibility in scheduling, significant savings in overhead costs, the reduce of stress, and the fact that no one has to worry about lengthy commutes getting in the way of a productive day, more people are picking up on this phenomenon.  A recent survey of over 3,000 business owners found that many believe that by 2023, most businesses…

• Testimonials and Positive Feedback

  ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell)

  2 May 2013 | 10:46 am

  It's pretty simple.  In your email system, create a folder.  Title the folder: "Testimonials and Positive Feedback".  How fast can you fill this folder to the point where it overflows? To be sure you don't forget the folder exists, move it towards the top of your email folder directory.  Sure enough, most of the positive comments in this folder will be for your eyes only.  Only you and your team will see these amazing and inspiring comments. If you go a week without even so much as one person saying: "Thank-you!", "Awesome!" or "That was just what I was looking for.",…

• The Modern Marketer - Part Artist, Part Scientist [infographic]

  ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell)

  25 Apr 2013 | 4:00 am

  The daily marketing responsibilities of a modern day entrepreneur are not divided into quantitative and creative tasks.  Marketers who excel in today’s environment can shift effortlessly between these two mindsets.  There is a duality with each step. Salesforce has put together an infographic to highlight the special assets marketers can bring if they are able to find a balance between the artistry and science:   Inbound marketing helps you combine the best of both worlds.  Read the inbound marketing blog.

• A Woman's Paradox: 71% of Moms are in the Workforce [infographic]

  ask@michaelhartzell.com (Michael Hartzell)

  19 Apr 2013 | 4:56 pm

  The unique challenges facing today's working women drives many out of the workforce and into an entrepreneurial venture.  There are two option:  Continue to carry the burden and live a paradox, quit and be a stay at home mom or start a small business which offers more flexibility and balance of life. If you are business owner or HR leader, think about the working mothers who are carrying a heavy load.  Are they super heroes?  Or an extra burden? Source: Great Business Schools

• 

  Surefire Social

• Google+ Makes Major Layout Changes

  Chris Marentis

  22 May 2013 | 2:10 pm

  Many businesses have been jumping on the Google Plus bandwagon, and for good reason. Google Plus’s Hangouts offer business and personal users alike the ability to interact with one another in a way that no other platform can. As a result, its user base is growing rapidly. More Visual Content The trend in local social media marketing has been placing a greater emphasis on photos, videos, and visual content in general, and Google Plus is no exception. It recently revamped its layout, giving more attention to—you guessed it—photos and videos. The new layout is similar to Facebook’s and…

• Using Reviews to Provide Social Proof of Your Company’s Quality

  GuildQuality

  15 May 2013 | 2:20 pm

  A company is only as good as its reputation, and unfortunately many business owners are terrified by the emergence of review sites and social media. While it’s true that a good business can be blindsided by a negative review, a thoughtful business owner can minimize that possibility and maximize their online reputation by monitoring and improving quality. What’s Trending About Your Company? A recent customer service infographic from ZenDesk shares that 88% of people have been influenced by online customer service reviews when making buying decisions. 45% of those reviews are bad…

• How to Get the Most Out of Google Adwords Campaigns

  Chris Marentis

  14 May 2013 | 9:53 am

  Companies are spending more and more on paid search campaigns. They can draw a lot of customers to your business, but if you’re not careful, they can cost you more than they’re worth. Fortunately, with a few simple steps, you can make your Google AdWords campaigns stronger. Use Google’s Customization Tools When you set up a Google AdWords campaign, by default you’ll have a standard account; however, you’ll have more options—and more success—if you select “All features” under the Settings tab. Although it might seem better to include several variants of the same keyword,…

• Customers Trust Friends’ Recommendations

  Chris Marentis

  10 May 2013 | 10:57 am

  We all know the power of local social media marketing, but it turns out that what you say might not be as important as what your customers’ friends say about you. Customers are likely to choose companies that their friends have recommended. In fact, a recent study has shown that social media users pay little attention to advertisements. Instead, they focus on what their friends are saying about a company. Seventy percent of social media users said they trust their friends’ brand recommendations. It’s now more important than ever to make sure that you maintain a high level of customer…

• YouTube Introduces Paid Channels

  Surefire Social

  9 May 2013 | 1:46 pm

  by: Seth Fiegerman 05/09/2013 After months of rumors, YouTube finally introduced a pilot program for paid channels on Thursday. YouTube will now let a few dozen of popular channels charge viewers a subscription fee of 99 cents or more per month, the company announced in a blog post. Each of these channels will offer two weeks of free viewing before charges kick in and some will provide discounts for those who sign up for an annual subscription. Read more…

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  Business Letters Guide

• Venaria, Business to Business Companies hunting for new perspectives

  ayub

  29 Apr 2013 | 12:09 am

  The 2nd Edition at la Concordia Scheduled business meetings And workshops among insiders Will take place today at Concordia Theatre of Venaria Reale (TO) the second edition of B2B Business to Business and Business to Events, the day of meetings and workshops organized by Eventiduemila and reserved for owners and sales managers, Marketing and human resources of companies looking for new business opportunities and partnerships. The event program includes, in the morning, an extensive agenda of B2B business meetings and work tables which will be followed by afternoon an interesting training…

• Levantamiento político de Chiapas por su visionario Sole

  ayub

  17 Apr 2013 | 7:19 pm

  La historia política de la República Mexicana ha sido muy interesante y diversa en la naturaleza. El gran cambio reciente en su frente político ha sido el levantamiento del Estado de Chiapas, que durante mucho tiempo ha sido suprimido estado de México. Se ha producido un cambio hacia abajo al revés en el escenario económico y político de Chiapas, en las últimas décadas. Este cambio positivo hacia la situación política de Chiapas ha hecho posible que los pueblos indígenas tienen una participación más activa en la política. Como cuestión de hecho, el nombre de Juan Sabines…

• Divorce and the Internet – Michael Kelly Explains The Connection Between The Two

  ayub

  15 Apr 2013 | 4:21 am

  In the recent years, the cases of divorces caused by internet addiction have been more than ever before. Michael Kelly Attorney confesses that in most cases the online pornography seems to have the leading role in this equation. When it comes to custody decisions, it is clear that addiction to the internet will prevent a parent to properly take care of his children and educate them in the right manner. Online porn is killing families all around the nation as a form of adultery is simply one click away. The psychiatrists want to send an alarm as the internet addiction is a legit concern in…

• Forex News Trading: Is it the Right Investment Model for you?

  ayub

  7 Mar 2013 | 2:32 am

  The foreign exchange remains the most popular and competitive financial market in the world, with billions of pounds traded on a daily basis. Given its considerable and unrelenting popularity with investors, is stands to reason that there should be a wide range of trading methods which enable individuals to operate profitably. Forex news trading is one of the most popular techniques practiced on the market, although it is not a method that is suitable for everyone. With this in mind, what key factors should you consider when appraising the suitability of forex news trading as a viable…

• OVERALL DESCRIPTION ABOUT DEALDASH COMPANY

  ayub

  13 Feb 2013 | 5:33 am

  Online shopping is the one which provides more benefits to the customers. Most of the companies prefer auction type which provides fun to the customers during the time of purchasing. Auction is a process which performs buying and selling functions with the help of bidding process. Several companies are performed with this auction method. As several types of auction methods are available in the market, one has to pick the right one to provide benefits to the company and also to the customers. A company which is running under the auction type is DealDash which provides more benefits to the…

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  The Bottom Line

• How should I pay myself?

  Chris Peden

  23 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  If you’re anything like me, you started your business not only because you wanted to spend more time using your natural talents on a job you are passionate about, but also because you wanted to make some money.  Well, after you spend all that time refining your craft, marketing, signing up clients, and delivering your work, you finally have some cash coming in.  So the question becomes, how do you get paid for your work? Do you cut yourself a paycheck like you received when you were an employee, or will you have to find some other method to get money into your bank account? Basically, you…

• Is it Time to Update Your Business Processes?

  Thursday Bram

  22 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  Clear business processes are necessary to grow a business — but many of us get everything in our companies set up to work well, hand off a guide to following those processes to an underling and then forget all about the matter. But your business processes can’t be a ‘set it and forget it’ situation: your business is (hopefully) growing and evolving. What made sense a year ago may not work nearly as well today. It’s crucial to consider the processes your company runs on to be temporary solutions — that you need to revisit them on a regular basis in order to ensure…

• Making Sense of the Home Office Expense Deduction

  Chris Peden

  21 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  Ah, living the dream life:  Your own business where you work out of your home in your pajamas.  You can roll out of bed, go down stairs, get some caffeine (even though you got up at 10am), turn on your laptop and work while watching the sports news (or whatever is your guilty pleasure).  You think to yourself “And I get to deduct expenses for my home office which doubles as my living room”! Hold on there, buckaroo!  We need to chat for a couple of minutes. First of all, I know very few small business owners who get to keep that schedule. Second, you don’t get to claim a home office…

• Outright Weekly Small Business Forecast: Week of May 20th

  Jennifer Escalona Dunn

  20 May 2013 | 8:24 am

  How happy our small business owners with the way the economy is? Despite reports of improvement, they may not be so gleeful! Also, is there a real benefit to taking an actual lunch? All this and more in our weekly forecast! Let’s get started. Around the Entrepreneur Web Here are some interesting links that may impact your small business week: Are your customers and clients constantly confused by what you mean? Here’s how to boost your communications to clear the air. Does bigger always equal better? When it comes to payments, it is! Leadership skills are important for every…

• 10 Ways to Get Back in Touch with Past Customers

  Thursday Bram

  17 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  Customers who have already purchased a product or a service from you are valuable: you’ve confirmed their viability as buyers in the best way possible. But unless you’ve got a clear process to make sure that your customers can keep buying from you, it’s easy for them to slip away. You need to get in touch — and stay in touch with your past customers. 1. Send out thank you cards. It may seem a little old-fashioned, but sending out thank you cards can be surprisingly rewarding. Few of us expect to get hand-written mail these days, especially in connection with our…

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  Small Business Online Marketing at Kutenda

• Don’t Diss Design – It Matters!

  James

  21 May 2013 | 12:28 pm

  Okay, so take a guess: how long do you reckon it takes the average person to form a first impression upon landing on your webpage? A study by researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2012 discovered that it takes all of two-tenths of a second to acquire that impression. This makes your design much more vital, as your visitors indeed have choices, and if they are less than bowled over by your design elements, you can be sure they are going to seek more appealing pastures. This is also a big trust factor with your visitors: a poor design will frequently lead to the…

• Top 10 Tips for Higher Email Open Rates

  James

  21 May 2013 | 12:27 pm

  Improving the email open rates of your existing list is pretty high on the list of best ways to increase your bottom line easily. It’s much easier to market to a person who has done business with you than to gain a new customer, and requires not nearly as much work as you might think. With an industry average of around 27.4 percent, it’s vital to have an understanding of your open rates, and just how you can improve upon them. So without further fanfare, here’s our down and dirty 10 best tips for boosting your email open rates. Create something worth reading - No doubt, the…

• 5 Social Media Mistakes That Will Sink Your Campaigns!

  James

  21 May 2013 | 12:27 pm

  Social media marketing is usually a terrific way to engage, find and sell new clients on your business, as long as you aren’t prone to making it harder on yourself. Social media blunders are incredibly easy to step into, and incredibly messy to get out of. Social media is essential to do correctly! Creotivo.com reports that a full 74 percent of brand marketers saw an increased web traffic after putting in a mere 6 hours each week on social media, while a whopping 83 percent have actually abandoned a purchase after a negative customer service experience. So to help you ward off the…

• Why Protect Your Online Reputation?

  James

  21 May 2013 | 12:26 pm

  We’ve all seen how quickly word travels today, and nowhere is that more important to your small business than in the world of your online reputation. What took you years to build can be ruined in seconds. If you’re not up to speed on why exactly your online reputation matters so much, let’s look at a few statistics. Cone Communications has found that a full 89 percent of consumers view online channels as trustworthy sources, and that 80 percent have actually changed their decision about purchasing after viewing a negative review. Not just that, but your own social media…

• SMS Marketing – Reach People Where They Dwell – Their Phones!

  James

  7 May 2013 | 9:36 am

  Who could have thought that text messaging, which was generally the land of the pre-teens, would transform into something as useful and powerful as SMS marketing? In just a very short time, SMS (simple message service) has proven as being a proven alternative option to email marketing. Developing more and more popularity, it’s hard to find anybody who is not using text messages in one way or another. Why you ought to give SMS marketing a long look Without question, the main reason marketers are giving SMS a chance is due to how people are responding to texts. Reported by CallFire SMS…

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  Marketing Without A Net

• 5 Reasons To Hate QR Codes

  Ilana Rabinowitz

  17 May 2013 | 7:32 am

  QR codes are the marketing technology that executives of all levels seemed to embrace almost the moment it came out.  It was the bright shiny object that people fell in love with and I’m not sure why.  Senior executives who couldn’t be convinced of the value of blogging, Facebook or Twitter were insisting that all marketing materials include QR codes, which brings us to reason number 1. The implementation of QR codes by most businesses was “just because we can do this cool thing.” There was no strategy, no understanding of how it serves the customer or the business…

• Six Reasons Every Business Must Be Serious About Social Media

  Ilana Rabinowitz

  13 May 2013 | 4:14 am

  1.  Your customers are your greatest marketing asset. Facilitate their word of mouth by making a place for them to have conversations with and about your brand. 2.  Email is the highest revenue generator of all channels. Utilize offers, incentives and contests in social media to acquire email addresses. 3.  Customers expect real-time customer service on social media. Your absence there is like not having an email address or phone number for people to reach you. 4.  An audience that is entertained, educated, and inspired on social media will tolerate occasional marketing.  Adding social…

• Best Practices And Other Innovation Killers

  Ilana Rabinowitz

  10 Apr 2013 | 6:22 pm

  Best practices are tested, well developed guidelines based on experience.   In marketing there are best practices around website layout, copywriting, social media marketing—you name it. Know them. They help take the risk out of business. Yet, I bristle at the phrase “best practices” because when I hear it, I know that’s where the process ends. Someone else has figured it out, so why should you go through the trial and error yourself? Best practices are a map and by definition, a map is not going to get you to new territory. That’s why best practices are the enemy of…

• 3 Simple Ways To Be More Creative

  Ilana Rabinowitz

  26 Feb 2013 | 3:00 am

  One of the reasons that being creative is so challenging is that we naturally drift toward the status quo.  Shaking things up makes us uncomfortable and requires risk taking.  Here are the 3 simple, non-threatening ways to nurture creativity so you can interfere with that drift. 1.        Stop focusing. Make sure you have downtime. This will be different for each person.  For me it is meditating for 15 minutes in the morning, running for a mile at night, or doing yoga.  For others it is knitting, driving, taking a long shower, staring out the window or washing the dishes.  What it…

• Why You Should Not Think Like A Marketer

  Ilana Rabinowitz

  1 Feb 2013 | 8:00 am

  Every week my marketing team meets to review results, and brainstorm ways to surprise and delight our community. We often bring blog posts or white papers to the group that present inspiration or provoke thoughts about new directions.  This week we discussed a post by Chris Brogan called Honey Badger Don’t Care (What You Want To Market.) In it he points out that what gets shared isn’t necessarily what builds your business.  We were talking about this internally because we have been getting great engagement on Facebook—sometimes up to 5,000 shares—and I thought it would be worthwhile…

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  Dawn's Work at Home Blog

• Seven Must-Have Apps for Freelancers

  1 May 2013 | 5:31 pm

  Freelancers are their own administrative assistant, accountant, negotiator, editor and marketer. It's not easy, working for yourself, but there are resources out there to help make your freelance career a bit less hectic and a far more organized. Apps can help you to manage your time and resources wisely by aggregating many of the tools a larger organization has at its disposal into your own personal device of choice. Here are a few must-have apps for the seasoned ornew freelancer MyPrice MyPrice is one of the best applications to have on your phone if you're a freelancer. Period. The…

• Top 10 Time Saving Tools for the Freelancer

  12 Apr 2013 | 8:44 am

  The Internet has made running your own show a lot easier. As a freelancer, you’re likely to encounter problems that, if you were the CEO of a large company, would probably be dealt with by your subordinates. However, as a one-man band, you have to deal with the nitty-gritty, as well as dedicate the time to actually running your business. Thankfully, whatever your problem, someone has already created a solution to it. Let’s take a look at the top 10 time-saving tools available to freelancers. 1. QuickBooks. This is the most popular bookkeeping software in the world, and is used by over 4.5…

• Work at Home Customer Service Agent Position Now Hiring

  22 Mar 2013 | 11:23 am

  Pleio GoodStart is looking for customer service agents who are looking to work at home.  They provide a complimentary service to help people manage their medications better by getting them on a routine. This is a contract position and agents will get paid per calls made averaging up to $16-$18 an hour.  This is a work at home position, no commute to the office.  It is a legitimate contract position with guaranteed work making call center calls, it is not based on sales. Some of the requirements to begin working at home with Pleio: Must be 18 years or older US citizens only…

• A Zen Approach to Success: Using Feng Shui for Your Home Office

  17 Mar 2013 | 7:17 am

  Feng shui, the Chinese system of orienting buildings to improve life and productivity, is often incorporated into many of today’s most high-profile office spaces. But you can exercise these same principles to create a home office of your own, arranging your workspace for the greatest chance at happiness and success. Find Your Spot Feng Shui teaches that the energy in a home flows from the front door and spreads itself upward throughout the house. Therefore, the ideal space for your home office should be relatively close to the front door, on the same floor as the entrance or a higher floor…

• Important Update to Earning With Clixsense

  29 Jan 2013 | 11:49 am

  Clixsense is still a great place to earn extra money online, but I want to give everybody a heads up on a something.  In previous posts I had talked about doing the daily surveys under the offers tab.  These are the surveys that I recommend - the ones when you click offers and then go to surveys.  Or you can also click on the surveys right from your account summary page.  If you stick to the tasks and the Clixsense daily surveys, you will be good.  Again, Clixsense is a great site but I am going to explain to you the reason for this update: They brought in two…

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  Blog

• Ten Steps To Set Up A Google Places aka Google+ Local Page And Tips For A Page 1 Ranking

  21 May 2013 | 5:32 am

  Ten Steps To Set Up A Google Places aka Google+ Local Page And Tips For A Page 1 Ranking Want to know how to setup up a Google places page and get it ranking on page #1 for keywords relevant to your business? This this article by guest blogger Randy Kirk is for you. Read now to learn more.

• Marketing Company Performance Appraisal Review 101 - How To Audit Your Marketing Company

  15 May 2013 | 4:30 am

  Marketing Company Performance Appraisal Review 101 - How To Audit Your Marketing Company When is the last time you audited your marketing company? If you have not conducted your own internal review of your marketing company recently, conducting an audit is most likely a good idea. Review these 10 things to determine if the marketing company you are working with is the right fit for your company.

• Sales model - How To Increase Sales - Blackberry Example

  6 May 2013 | 9:03 am

  Sales model - How To Increase Sales - Blackberry Example As a follow up to my article Where RIM's Blackberry Mobile Fusion For Small Business Went Wrong I am going to provide more ideas for Blackberry for how they can improve their business. Being a Waterloo resident I would like to help this company that is such a large part of our community. The best way I figure I can help is provide ideas to help increase sales. I am not sure if any blackberry executives will read this but if they do feel free to use any of the ideas I have presented. They were put here specifically for you to use, if you…

• The Immense Benefits of Social Media Engagement with Customers

  1 May 2013 | 7:15 am

  The Immense Benefits of Social Media Engagement with Customers The benefits of social media and how you should use it to engage with your customers is probably not what you think. Click and read this article now to learn what the real benefits of social media are for your business and how to best utilize it to gain new customers and grow sales.

• How To Write A Marketing Plan For A Small Business In 7 Easy Steps

  22 Apr 2013 | 9:03 am

  How To Write A Marketing Plan For A Small Business In 7 Easy Steps In this article I review how to write a marketing plan and break it down into 7 easy steps. I also provide some tips for each of the 7 steps that will increase the effectiveness of your marketing plan. If you are more of a visual learner I have included a short video you can watch that walks you through the 7 steps.

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  Internet Marketing Strategies And Tips

• Online Internet Marketing Made Easy Through Blogging

  admin

  20 May 2013 | 7:43 pm

  Is Internet Marketing presenting a challenge for you? Have you been trying to make some money on line? Does everything you try seem to lead into a road block? I know how you feel. I felt the exact same way. When I found my secret I found out how simple making things happen could be. I watched some videos and used the pause function while jumping back and forth between browser screens. Within a few minutes I had a blog on line ready to receive Internet traffic. This method is an awesome vehicle for Internet Marketing. You do not need FTP, HTML, PHP or any of those other technical…

• Oh The Stresses Of Internet Marketing!

  admin

  13 May 2013 | 7:43 pm

  First of all before you make any moves do your homework. You will never make a dime or better yet you will lose all of your dimes, if you do not first become a student of Internet marketing. I always say that once you learn the fundamentals of Internet marketing you can sell your dirty laundry on the Internet; the key is finding your target market. Learning all of the techniques of Internet marketing will teach you exactly how to find your target market, how to get in front of them, and how to make them make you money. Many people hear the tales of Internet fortune and automatically assume,…

• Niche Marketing vs. Internet Marketing Niche

  admin

  6 May 2013 | 7:43 pm

  Comparing niche marketing and an Internet marketing niche is equivalent to comparing apples with oranges. Apples and oranges are both fruit. Niche marketing and an Internet Marketing niche are both forms of Internet marketing but as different as apples are from oranges. The term ‘niche marketing’ means selling a specific product to a specific type of buyer. There are far less competitive niches than an Internet marketing niche. Most niche markets are more open to the latest marketing strategies, as well. Small niche markets are not over stocked with gurus and wise men and are much…

• One Internet Marketing Approach

  admin

  27 Apr 2013 | 7:37 pm

  Whether you are new to Internet marketing or frustrated by the experience, the concept is undisputedly a challenge. As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat. One Internet Marketing Approach Before we get into a one particular internet marketing approach, we need to define what we mean by approach. Internet marketing is entirely different than brick and mortar marketing. The structure is composed of a number of factors including long and short term strategies, indirect branding marketization and traffic analysis. If you can master these subjects, you will have the right approach…

• Money In Your Wallet – Now! Proven Internet Marketing Methods

  admin

  20 Apr 2013 | 7:37 pm

  Promoting your internet business can be done in hundreds of ways, some of which are more effective, some less so. Others can be total flops. But what matters at the end of the day is simply this: RESULTSÖRESULTSÖRESULTS. All your efforts should be geared to this one goal alone: Results that put money in your wallet. So what really works? 1. People just cannot resistÖFREE! Yes, FREE! Imagine: You are out shopping for perfume. You pass the cheese counter. A gorgeous lady offers sample tastings of smelly, bluey Gorgonzola. You hate cheese, it gives you eczema. But you take some all the same…

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  Executive Street

• 4 Reasons You Need to Implement Performance Measurements

  Kevin McArdle

  23 May 2013 | 9:46 am

  Most business leaders know intuitively that they should be using data to measure their organization’s progress and drive future decisions. However, when things get busy, Read MoreRelated Posts:Leadership: The Issue of AcceptanceHow to Measure InnovationManaging Team Performance for Exceptional ResultsConversational Capacity: Communication Strategies for…Webinar Summary: Six Keys to Better Strategic ExecutionThe post 4 Reasons You Need to Implement Performance Measurements appeared first on Executive Street.

• Corporate Culture: the Biggest Asset Not on the Balance Sheet

  Jerry Rackley

  22 May 2013 | 9:30 am

  The balance sheet for any company will list all kinds of assets and liabilities, except company culture.  There should be a way to account for Read MoreRelated Posts:Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility Explains the…What Is The Real Value of Corporate Culture?Arkadi Kuhlmann on the Importance and Secrets of Corporate…David Novak, CEO Of Yum! Brands On Building Corporate…3 Tips to Inspire a Healthy Corporate CultureThe post Corporate Culture: the Biggest Asset Not on the Balance Sheet appeared first on Executive Street.

• Why Independent Business Valuation Services are Important

  Dale Richards

  22 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  When the time comes to sell your business or when you are looking to purchase a new business it is important that you are aware Read MoreRelated Posts:Keys to Evaluating Valuation Services ProvidersTips To Pick the Right Valuation Service ProviderHow Business Valuation Services Can Get You More Money for…Quick Guide to Business Valuation MethodsSimple Ideas to Improve the Value of Your BusinessThe post Why Independent Business Valuation Services are Important appeared first on Executive Street.

• Leadership: The Issue of Acceptance

  Dwight Frindt

  21 May 2013 | 2:34 pm

  One of the essential steps to increased leadership effectiveness and more productive interactions is “acceptance” (both of ourselves and others). While it’s Read MoreRelated Posts:Conflict Management Rule 3: Choose Your Style4 Reasons You Need to Implement Performance MeasurementsEnough About the U.S. … Let’s Talk ChinaConversational Capacity: Communication Strategies for…Bringing Passion Back to Corporate PlanningThe post Leadership: The Issue of Acceptance appeared first on Executive Street.

• Conversational Capacity: Communication Strategies for Success in Business

  Vistage Staff

  20 May 2013 | 1:31 pm

  Human nature has stacked the odds against any group trying to collaborate under pressure. As the going gets tough, human nature has wired us to Read MoreRelated Posts:Leadership: The Issue of AcceptanceConflict Management Rule 3: Choose Your Style4 Reasons You Need to Implement Performance MeasurementsAre There Valid Excuses for Not Taking the Strategic Road?Enough About the U.S. … Let’s Talk ChinaThe post Conversational Capacity: Communication Strategies for Success in Business appeared first on Executive Street.

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  Business Networking Blog

• Take a different approach to networking

  Dave Clarke

  20 May 2013 | 4:54 am

  This is a guest blog from Jeremy Marchant on taking a different approach to Business Networking. Jeremy is a long standing member of NRG and his approach is very much in line with the NRG Advocacy Model*. You can find out more about Jeremy at this link to his website, Emotional Intelligence at Work.         Take a different approach to networking, by Jeremy Marchant   Many people misunderstand the purpose of a networking event. It isn’t to get customers, or even leads. It certainly isn’t to ‘sell to the room’.   We believe the purpose…

• Resilience & Agility In Business

  Dave Clarke

  3 May 2013 | 9:35 am

  I have been invited to speak this month at the Pitch Perfect Club on Resilience & Agility in Business. The event takes place in London on the 23rd May. It has got me thinking Resilience & Agility In Business and stories to illustrate that.   One of the major reasons for taking my first 'proper' job was the conference they had planned in Tenerife two weeks after starting. The other reason was the professional sales training programme they would put me through. The job was as a salesperson for the Loctite Corporation's new UK Consumer Division launched to capitalise on the success…

• The Time It Takes To Win Business From Networking

  Dave Clarke

  3 Apr 2013 | 12:01 pm

  You don't get fit by joining a gym. You get fit by working out a programme to get fit and then following that programme. That may involve joing a gym. It's the same with networking. You don't get business by joining a networking group. You develop business through proactively building you network in the right way with the right people.That may involve joining a networking group.   A frequent question from the guests I speak to at NRG Networking Events is, "How long does it take to get business from this?"   The answer is that if all you do is passively attend the events then it…

• Networking And The Business Model Canvas

  Dave Clarke

  6 Mar 2013 | 5:46 am

  I enjoyed a presentation from Alex Osterwalder, co-author of Business Model Generation, at Campus London last week. Alex spoke about Business Model Mechanics and how better business models out-compete a focus on products and technology. This video is a good introduction to the tool he has developed, The Business Model Canvas.     There are nine key areas on the canvas: 1. Key Partners 2. Key Activities 3. Key Resources 4. Value Proposition 5. Customer Relationships 6. Channels 7. Customer Segments 8. Cost Structure 9. Revenue Streams   The key partnerships section of the canvas…

• How Large Does Your Network Need To Be?

  Dave Clarke

  14 Feb 2013 | 7:25 am

  In a recent article 'How Large Is Your Network? The Power of 2nd and 3rd Degree Connections' Linkedin founder Reid Hoffman compared the number of relationships you can manage in your network with the number of pictures you can store on a camera memory card. Neither is infinite and you have a limited capacity for the number of stable relationships you can manage just as a memory card can store fewer high quality images than low quality ones. Success in business networking comes from managing a good network of 1st level connections who can introduce you to their connections as and when…

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  Word Chef | Tea Silvestre - Marketing Consultant, Writer

• The “Green Smoothie” for a Healthy & Successful Business

  Stacey Shanks

  21 May 2013 | 3:39 pm

  The following is a guest post by Digital Dining Room member, Stacey Shanks. Please give her a warm Word Chef welcome. Your business plan is set, and your dreams are about to become reality. You’ve taken one of the biggest steps of your life — a giant leap of faith that you hope will turn into a soaring success. So you work hard, giving it all you’ve got, and wake up one day stressed out, working more hours than ever. On top of it all, your profit doesn’t match your effort. You begin to question your big Why for starting this venture. Wondering, “Should I go back to a 9-5 J-O-B?

• Hall of Fame: Laura Petrolino of Flying Pig Consulting

  Tea (the Chef) Silvestre

  17 May 2013 | 3:51 am

  I was introduced to Laura via Nicole Fende (aka The Numbers Whisperer) and immediately took a shine to her writing. And not just because she works under the Flying Pig banner (have you ever seen my personal blog, Whole Hog Marvels?), but also because she’s smart AND funny. Two traits I simply cannot resist. It wasn’t long before our Word Carnival group felt the same and so she’s also been sharing her smarty-pants ways with us since January. How long have you been at this? and What inspired you to start this business? I’ve been working in communications for the totality…

• Hall of Fame: Sharon Hurley Hall, Freelance Writer

  Tea (the Chef) Silvestre

  10 May 2013 | 6:56 am

  This Hall of Fame spotlight is long overdue. Sharon and I’ve been working together as Word “carnies” for nearly two years now (see WordCarnivals.com for more on that). And she’s definitely someone worth knowing! A freelance writer who proudly wears the polymath title, Sharon’s interests keep her (and her readers) very busy. Let’s get to know her even better, shall we?   How long have you been at this business? and What inspired you to start? I’ve been freelancing for about 8 years now, though I’ve been writing for much longer. As with most things…

• Table Talk Q&A: How Do I Pick the Best Marketing Strategies for My Business (and Avoid Wasting Time/Money)?

  Tea (the Chef) Silvestre

  6 May 2013 | 9:20 am

  Question: There are SO many resources, opportunities for learning, mentors, etc., how can I efficiently choose the marketing technique(s) that will most likely align with my business plans, goals and industry?  How do I best allocate my limited resources (time/$) to actually grow my business (while avoiding Bright Shiny Object Syndrome)? The simple answer is: Know Thyself. If you’ve done the homework and have true clarity about who you are (your strengths and weaknesses), what your resources are (time, money, people) and what your goals are (mission/vision/values), you’ll be…

• Hall of Fame: Rebecca Clark, Nudge Village

  Tea (the Chef) Silvestre

  3 May 2013 | 6:13 am

  Rebecca Clark, Nudge Village Allow me to introduce you to Rebecca. We met on Twitter. She’s a generous woman full of positive energy and enthusiasm who works tirelessly to help her budding community reach their goals. How long have you been in business? and What inspired you to start? I started Nudge Village in 2011. I actually work full-time for the Department of Defense. At that time it was a bit more stable. (-: But, I had many talented friends that were out of work and trying to make a go of it on their own. I thought I’d help by creating a site to highlight them. It quickly…

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  Business growth strategies for business owners and entrepreneurs

• {Free Webinar} How to win new business with your newsletter

  Griselda K Togobo

  20 May 2013 | 1:17 pm

  80% of my clients come through my “awovi insider newsletter“  Some people wouldn’t call it a newsletter because its not formatted like a usual newsletter – but it works! I have clear reasons based on research and results why I write my “newsletter” this way. When I take on a new client, one of the first things [...]

• {Podcast} Kenny Goodman talks SEO, marketing and building businesses to sell

  Griselda K Togobo

  9 May 2013 | 4:25 am

  Kenny Goodman specialises in Digital Marketing (especially online Lead Generation). His latest venture Find the edge is a platform connecting  entrepreneurs to world class experts who can help them. In this podcast, you’ll learn: How to bounce back from a business setback – Kenny’s £1million valuation ended up being a £5! How to prepare your [...]

• Growth Myth # 1: Marketing equals sales

  Griselda K Togobo

  2 May 2013 | 3:42 am

  Marketing is great for generating the leads but it is the selling that actually closes the deal and puts money in your bank account. Let me explain why I say this. The Chartered Institute of Management defines Marketing as: “Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.” — CIM [...]

• Ask G: How do I get more referrals and recommendations from my client? Part2/2

  Griselda K Togobo

  24 Apr 2013 | 5:18 am

  Read the first part of the blog on how to generate more referrals and recommendations here. You can watch it directly on youtube by clicking here. Thanks for watching and stay connected .

• Ask G: How do I get more referrals and recommendations from my clients?

  Griselda K Togobo

  13 Apr 2013 | 11:26 am

  Ask G: “How do I get more referrals and recommendations from my clients even after they’ve had an excellent service? In my mind, recommendations and referrals can be a bit like match making. Really powerful and well-matched recommendations can result in really strong relationships. But here is the problem. People won’t simply recommend your services [...]

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  DollarVersity

• The Brutal Truth: Why I Hate Visiting Your Site

  Eric J. Nisall

  20 May 2013 | 5:59 am

  I’ve begun to question quite a few things about my future.  One aspect in particular is what I want to do with this site because of the following. You see, lately, I’ve been getting pretty frustrated with the web in general as there seems to be so much crap being published.   It may not be what you want to hear, but sometimes the truth is necessary   I’m not saying that everything published these days is a waste, but let’s be real here, there is a LOT of crap. The half-assed sites thrown up just to make money off of advertising. The junk people pass off as…

• Credit is Not the Enemy, You Are!

  Eric J. Nisall

  14 May 2013 | 9:04 am

  Food. Cars. Medicine. Power Tools. Information. Credit. What do they all have in common? Which one doesn’t belong with the others? Why does that one not follow the same rules as the others? Sometimes you just need to look in the mirror to see who the real cause of your problems is. They are all tools, and at first glance, it would appear that credit has nothing to do with the others. But, indirectly they all have something very important in common with credit: responsibility. Each one of those things mentioned, used responsibly can be of great benefit, but once the line is crossed…

• Vary Your Marketing To Boost Business Survival Chances

  Eric J. Nisall

  7 May 2013 | 6:01 pm

  Starting a business is no easy feat, no matter how easy some people make it out to be. It takes tons of effort, time, and money, not to mention patience and perseverance. To keep from falling through the cracks, you need to set yourself apart from other companies. According to CNNMoney, in 2009 558,000 new businesses were started each month. The following year, that number crept up to 565,000 startups a month. The numbers have been rising consistently every year since 2006. In September of 2012, The Harvard Business School reported that Shikhar Ghosh, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business…

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  Deluxe Small Business Blog

• Why Your Small Business Should Be More Pet Friendly

  Bill Miller

  22 May 2013 | 7:54 am

  According to statistics from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) nearly 43.5 million American homes own dogs and more than 36 million American homes own cats. The average number of dogs per owning household is 1.6 and cats is 2.1 per owning household. Additional research shows pet ownership growing fastest among minority families across the country. As you might expect, pet related spending continues to rise with ownership rates. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) projects Americans will spend more than $55.53 billion on pet related products and services in 2013.

• What Kind of Small Business Owner Are You?

  Eric Ellis

  21 May 2013 | 6:01 am

  Why did you start your small business? What motivates you, today? Deluxe wanted to know what makes you tick, so we recently commissioned a nationwide study of more than 1,000 small businesses to find out. The results of the survey identified seven major types of small business owners: All Heart, Encore Career, Passionately Confident, All in the Family, My Way, Mastering the Niche, and Boss-Me-Not. Do you already hear one category name that seems to fit you? Follow the “7 Types of Small Business Owners” infographic and determine just where you fall. See how many others were motivated by…

• Targeting the Audience for Your Small Business’s Blog

  Bill Miller

  16 May 2013 | 7:16 am

  Defining the target audience for your business blog, then creating and selecting content based on the wants and needs of that “person” are the two critical most steps of any successful business blogging strategy. Whom is this blog for? Get Specific! Has your business already developed profiles for your likeliest or most ideal customers? If so, then you can use those customer personas as a guide to keep your posts relevant. If you’ve never gone through the exercise of creating a persona, now’s the time. Instead of lumping everyone in one anonymous bucket, develop 1-3 distinct personas.

• Infographic: Is Small Business in Your DNA?

  Bill Miller

  15 May 2013 | 6:37 am

  Are you contemplating starting up a small business? Have you been a small business owner for a while? For your whole working career?  What drives you to succeed? Deluxe wanted to know, so we commissioned a study of more than 1,000 businesses in the United States to find out if what it takes to be a small business owner is truly “in your blood.” Is the small business gene in your DNA? The results of the survey are eye-opening and at the same time reassuring. If nothing else, they reveal to small business entrepreneurs of every age and generation you’re not alone out there. The things…

• All In The Family – A Family Business That Works

  Adam Dince

  13 May 2013 | 8:12 am

  One of my favorite TV shows is Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible” with Chef Robert Irvine.  Each week, Chef Irvine intervenes with a restaurant in desperate need of a complete makeover. Within days of Irvine working his magic, the restaurant is running at full speed.  Some of the most intriguing episodes have featured family-owned restaurants that overcome both business and familial relationship challenges.  Throughout my life I’ve gotten to know quite a few family run businesses and am always impressed with people who are able to successfully navigate both the business and…

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  Intuit Small Business Blog

• Giving Equity to Recruits and Employees

  Robert Moskowitz

  23 May 2013 | 11:16 am

  It’s nearly every small-business owner’s nightmare and dream: to provide key employees with equity. The idea of diluting your ownership may feel somewhat like giving away your firstborn. But when your company’s future prospects look better than its current bank balance, offering a piece of the business and/or a chance to obtain warrants (often called “stock options”) is an attractive way to reward and incentivize people without spending a penny today. If you’re thinking about giving equity to your staff, here are some factors to consider before you take the plunge. Types of…

• 5 Tips for Overcoming Your Self-Doubt

  Michael Ansaldo

  23 May 2013 | 5:29 am

  As a small-business owner, your success depends on overcoming myriad challenges — market forces, limited resources, and time constraints to name just a few. But frequently the biggest obstacle is your own lack of confidence in your abilities. More than just a psychological scourge, self-doubt can have tangible effects on your business, compromising your ability to lead, grow your brand, and surmount those other challenges [PDF] we mentioned above. Here are five tips for overcoming your self-doubt: 1. Remember your successes. The fear of failure probably plagues small-business owners more…

• Medical Linen Service Cleans Up With Intuit Grant

  Michael Essany

  23 May 2013 | 4:21 am

  About 100 miles southeast of Atlanta is the charming town of Milledgeville. “It’s a very tight-knit, traditional southern community that’s been hit really hard [economically] over the last 10 years. There was a lot of industry here,” says small-business owner Shane Bridges. “But because of that sense of community a lot of people here have pulled together and stepped up to help one another and try to get through these difficult times.” A little more than three years ago, Bridges personally experienced the impact of the economic downturn. “I had been let go of my job after almost…

• In the Trenches: Working With Consultants

  Brett Snyder

  22 May 2013 | 1:22 pm

  I’ve never had a particularly positive view of consultants. That’s probably because I’ve mostly seen big companies use them poorly. Time and time again, the result was the same: The firms wasted money by getting outsiders to tackle unnecessary tasks and by channeling internal resources toward helping them instead of having employees do their own work. That said, there are excellent uses for consultants, such as complex IT integrations or special projects that lie outside of a company’s core expertise (like a merger). So, I recently started to consider whether it might make sense…

• How to Make an Impact With Your LinkedIn Company Page

  Michael Ansaldo

  22 May 2013 | 5:46 am

  Need another reason to use LinkedIn company pages to promote your business? Here you go: A recent LinkedIn study found that half of its members are more likely to purchase from a business that they engage with on the site. Company pages offer a wealth of free and premium tools to help businesses market themselves to potential employees, customers, and partners. Here are five tips for getting the most out of these features — and making an impact with your page. 1. Use keywords. Companies on LinkedIn are found the same way as individuals — via search — so create your page with SEO in…

• 

  My Parsons Family

• Why I Reject Evolution

  Chris Parsons

  14 May 2013 | 2:53 pm

  Okay, okay – I like that title for it’s shock value, but it’s not exactly true. [UPDATE - I had some scientific counter-arguments made, and have updated my post to address them] I was taught that evolution was a fact in school, and never really questioned it (which is weird because I question everything). I mean, after all, they had the pictures of the skulls evolving lined up all nice and pretty - of course it was true! Oh, and I was an atheist – so I had no reason not to believe it. Then, after Kerry & I got married, we went to watch this little video put on…

• Slow Carb Breakfast vs IF vs Bulletproof Fasting

  Chris Parsons

  2 May 2013 | 12:28 pm

  There are three guys that I follow in fitness. Tim Ferriss - NY Times Best-selling author of Four Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman (that I have used to great effect). Dave Asprey (Bulletproof Exec) – co-author of The Better Baby Book: How to have a Healthier, Smarter, Happier Baby – and biohacker focused on mental performance John “Roman” Romaniello – c0-author of the recently released NY Times Best-seller Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha: A Real-World Guide to an Unreal Life. Build More Muscle. Burn More Fat.

• My rainbow baby after a Stillborn (+ Pre-eclampsia)

  Kerry Parsons

  18 Apr 2013 | 9:33 am

  I lost Henry as a stillborn at 33 weeks pregnant on April 18th, 2012. Henry would have turned One Year Old today. After losing Henry, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go through another pregnancy without knowing if I was actually going to have a baby or not, and then I couldn’t help but think about what other people were going to think if I got pregnant again, as if I was doing it to forget about Henry. And that’s another reason why I was hesitant to get pregnant again – I didn’t want to forget about Henry – but I wanted a baby so badly. I felt very…

• Marriage, Gay Rights, and Legislating Morality

  Chris Parsons

  28 Mar 2013 | 11:27 am

  The potential legalization of gay marriage is a huge issue these days (in America at least)… and of course I can’t help but say where I stand. The other day, my Facebook newsfeed was filled with people changing their profile pictures, sharing links, and posting status updates to show their support for gay marriage. I didn’t see a single person post something against gay marriage (despite the fact that I assume the majority of my Facebook friends are Christian Conservatives), probably because people who oppose gay marriage have been made to feel ashamed of their views.

• Modern Concepts of Heaven & Hell compared to the Bible

  Chris Parsons

  19 Mar 2013 | 12:31 pm

  I have all these assumptions about Heaven and Hell… I used to think that Heaven was for good people and Hell was for bad people. In fact, most Christians would be hesitant to name more than a half-dozen folks who are in Hell – people like Hitler who are the ’worst of the worst’.  But after reading the New Testament I quickly realized that wasn’t true since we all deserve Hell and can only avoid it by Jesus’ atonement. What about people becoming Angels when they go to Heaven? And Satan controlling Hell for eternal punishment? And do we go to our eternal…

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  Capterra Blog - A blog about business software

• Skipping Out on Tracking? Why You Can’t Afford a Day Off

  Caroline Malamut

  13 May 2013 | 2:53 pm

  I love math and numbers and looking at data and trying to figure out what it means, just like everyone else in the marketing world! Right? Right?! Bueller? Okay, so maybe not everyone enjoys numbers as much as I do, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. These boring, complicated, overwhelming numbers are the key to knowing whether or not your marketing expenses are actually generating revenue for your company. That’s pretty important! But are you even able to track which efforts are making you money? Recently, one of Capterra’s Marketing Advisors, Jennifer Bischoff, held a…

• Should Your E-Marketing Real Estate Include Landing Pages?

  Jennifer Bischoff

  11 May 2013 | 2:49 pm

  ‘Closet space to die for…trails right outside your door.’  Recently, I thought that I’d made up my mind about where I was going to live. That is, until my friend suggested another alternative… ‘The best restaurants steps away…organized events any time of day.’   Gulp…I was split between two living situations:  stretching my arms beyond the city borders or getting that all-so-convenient city apartment.  It was a pretty big life decision that I wasn’t prepared to make.   Working in marketing, you’re likely met with tough…

• Got Credibility? 4 Elements to Build Trust

  Kaitie Flynn

  9 May 2013 | 2:47 pm

  You’re walking down the street when a stranger stops you and tries to sell you a “real” Rolex for $200.  Are you interested?  No, because it’s probably fake or stolen.  What if you’re in an official Rolex store and a sales person offers you that same deal.  Are you interested now? I hope so! Alright, what changed your mind?  Credibility did.  So, let’s tie this back to you and your prospects. It’s important to build credibility for the buyers who visit your website so they trust you enough to give you their contact details.  Only 58% of online web users believe online…

• Swooning for Short Forms

  Kara Dawson

  8 May 2013 | 8:44 am

  As a Marketing Advisor at Capterra, I serve as an outside marketing consultant for nearly 300 B2B software companies. I’m basically their own personal “Dear Abby”—only instead of giving advice to scorned lovers and angry neighbors, I help with marketing. I consult on demand generation and lead funnels, advise on website optimization, share account recommendations and field questions regarding pay-per-click. The Dear Abby column is a success because people love to learn from others’ mistakes and (let’s be honest) people are nosey. So I had an idea—I will, like Abby, take…

• How Social Media is Changing Hotel Management

  Jordan Barrish

  7 May 2013 | 3:45 am

  It used to be that when you had a bad experience with a hotel or restaurant, you’d complain to the manager and maybe tell your friends about it, but that was about it. Well, not anymore. Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and any other social sharing site gives customers instant gratification – they can make their complaint and share it (publicly) with no lag time. But it works both ways, as evidenced by author Dave Kerpan’s personal experience with social sharing. One tweet about his frustration with a long line at a hotel check-in sent him packing (on his next trip) to a hotel down the…

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  One Lily Creative Agency

• One Lily Named Finalist in American Business Awards

  Angela Nielsen

  9 May 2013 | 12:05 pm

  Design firm places in Top 3 of nationwide competition; to be presented with Stevie Award trophy this Fall in San Francisco. Oceanside, California. May 9, 2013 –Today the American Business Awards announced that One Lily, Inc. is among three finalists in the running for the 11th annual award for Best Overall Web Design. The eventual award of the Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie® Award to One Lily will be announced at a banquet ceremony in San Francisco on September 16, 2013. The American Business Awards are the nation’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the…

• One Lily Receives GOLD Communicator Award

  Angela Nielsen

  7 May 2013 | 8:11 am

  One Lily takes home the Gold, receiving the highest award given by the Communicator Awards, the prestigious Gold Communicator Award – Award of Excellence. The award was given for the Websites (Professional Services) category, for their own rebrand. New York, NY (April 30, 2013) – The winners of The 2013 Communicator Awards have been announced by the International Academy of the Visual Arts today.  With over 6000 entries received from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring the creative excellence for…

• Cultural Sensitivity in Web Design

  Angela Nielsen

  6 Mar 2013 | 11:36 am

  Anyone taking on the task of web design today needs to be aware of how certain symbols, designs and concepts could potentially be offensive to others. Does it mean that one needs to study rigorously all the cultures of the globe?  No, but it is a good idea to have a solid foundation as to cultural variances, which will go a long way towards creating a website that demonstrates cultural sensitivity. Today, the internet is a global platform that reaches into the homes, businesses and lives of most people on every continent. Only the most remote, indigenous people are outside of the sphere of…

• The Use Of Minimalism In Modern Marketing

  Angela Nielsen

  28 Feb 2013 | 2:26 pm

  Today, more companies than ever are taking a minimalistic approach to their marketing campaigns and I’m not just talking about a handful of companies either, I’m talking about almost every well-known (and not so well-known) company in the world. You only have to look at the way many companies are choosing to rebrand and market themselves to see that a minimalistic approach is becoming more prominent. Take the recent Microsoft rebrand for example (pictured below). Source: Microsoft To be honest, minimalism is nothing new and throughout history, minimalistic designs have been used…

• YouTube Turns 8

  Angela Nielsen

  5 Feb 2013 | 9:27 am

  A couple of years ago we created a YouTube infographic to celebrate YouTube turning 6. I can’t believe how fast time flies… since YouTube is getting ready to turn 8 on Valentine’s Day! We thought it was time to bring you an updated infographic on all things YouTube, provided by our friends over at ShortyMedia.  

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  Simply Business Coaching

• 5 Ways to Reduce Your Email Overwhelm

  Louise Barnes-Johnston

  22 May 2013 | 12:34 am

  Does your heart sink when you’re faced with yet another screenful of emails to deal with? As a way of communicating, Email is very efficient and (more or less) free, especially when compared to ever increasing postage charges! Unfortunately, the sheer number of messages that need attention and processing every day can become overwhelming. There are many people who have no problem letting their inboxes build and build until they contain hundreds or even thousands of messages. But I can’t do that! I much prefer to keep my Gmail inbox at zero and have researched and tried out many ways of…

• Why I Use Evernote in My Business and Recommend You Do Too

  Louise Barnes-Johnston

  15 May 2013 | 12:33 am

  Evernote is a cloud based tool I’ve been using and recommending quite a lot lately, in my ongoing quest to find ways to simplify running a small business. So I’ve put together a brief overview of some of the ways it has become such an indispensable business tool for me. Not so many years ago, whenever I came across interesting articles or websites, I would print out the pages to keep in lever arch files. Thankfully times have changed and Evernote has become my digital filing cabinet. Just as well, because I’m running out of shelf space. Because it’s cloud based, everything stored in…

• Do You Love Yourself Enough?

  Louise Barnes-Johnston

  8 May 2013 | 12:10 am

  Facebook and Pinterest have a lot to answer for! I love reading motivating & inspiring quotes as much as the next person, but some of them aren’t very helpful if you’re feeling vulnerable or doubting yourself. And we all have moments like that. The expectations to be great, to be the best and succeed in all we do, are magnified by the social networks. These expectations are putting a lot of pressure on us, even if we aren’t consciously aware that this is happening. However, it isn’t always possible to have an idealised perfect life and business, just as it isn’t realistic to…

• Why I’m Moving Away From Free

  Louise Barnes-Johnston

  1 May 2013 | 12:36 am

  I have always been proud of the fact that I built my business on a miniscule budget. Starting out, I simply didn’t have spare funds for expensive equipment and marketing materials, so came up with low cost work-rounds out of necessity. Fortunately, when Social Media came along it offered a myriad of promotional opportunities for bootstrapped business owners like you and me. I think I must have signed up for thousands of newsletters and downloaded every free ebook going, over the past decade. Although the novelty has now worn off, the magpie in me still gets tempted sometimes! That isn’t…

• Are You Trying to Stretch Your Days Too Far?

  Louise Barnes-Johnston

  23 Apr 2013 | 11:59 pm

  I was on a call the other day with one of my coaching clients. We were talking about the fact that she was struggling to get everything done without working late into the night. This was a bit of a puzzle because we’d been working on improving her productivity for a while, and I was running out of suggestions! We had already tried: Time Tracking; Contingency Planning; Task Blocking; Boundary Setting; Using Timers; Productivity Tools; and Calendar Reminders to name just a few techniques! And then, during the course of our conversation, she told me about a new client assignment she’d…

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  SBALoans-123.com

• Stock Fraud: Can Small Businesses be Victims?

  Guest

  10 May 2013 | 10:32 am

  Just about anyone who ever even glances at the news realizes how big of an economic indicator the stock market is. Small business owners are usually very aware of what’s going on in the world of investment since a huge swing in the national markets could have effects reaching all of the way down to the local level. What many small business owners don’t recognize is that they can actually invest in stocks as a company, though it’s important to be careful when doing so. What are Stocks? Stocks are basically nothing more than a small piece of ownership in a company or…

• Why Colocation is a Cost effective Option

  Guest

  9 May 2013 | 11:37 am

  Colocation involves a client purchasing their own server hardware and keeping it in a data center that provides regulated power, a dedicated Internet connection and high physical security. The hosting company owns the data center and ensures that the servers are always secured while also providing a clean, temperature regulated environment for the servers. Some clients opt to enter into a convenient management agreement so that their server investment is safeguarded by high level IT support. Benefits of Colocation There are many benefits for companies choosing to colocate their services.

• Trucking Accidents- What’s Happening Behind the Scenes

  Guest

  8 May 2013 | 10:48 am

  Although the ratio of accidents that involve semi-trucks is significantly lower than passenger vehicles, the fatality percentage is much higher. Unfortunately, the vast majority of drivers and passengers who are in the smaller vehicle involved have an extremely high chance of dying during a collision. Truck drivers also face this risk, but as long as they take proper safety precautions such as wearing their seat belt, they are most likely going to survive an accident without receiving any serious injuries. However, the risk that semi-trucks pose for everyone else on the road needs to be taken…

• Domain Names 101- What You Need To Know

  Guest

  6 May 2013 | 10:49 am

  Acquiring the right domain name is a very important aspect of building a successful website. After all, if no one can easily remember your URL, it is going to be very difficult to drive a lot of traffic to your site. By taking the time to select an appropriate domain name, you can help ensure that your new website will have a good chance of catching the attention of a large audience. 1. Always Double Check Availability – Before you get your heart set on a specific domain name, it is important to make sure that it is available. There are several online resources that will enable you to…

• Not Worth the Risk – Skipping Out on Paying Workmens Comp Insurance

  Guest

  5 May 2013 | 11:25 am

  Every company in North Carolina that employs at least three people is subject to the workers’ compensation law, and this means that they are required to pay for the insurance to provide protection for their employees. Unfortunately, the state does not closely monitor this requirement, and that means that an estimated 31,411 businesses are not currently following the law. For most of these companies, the decision to skip out on making their legally obligated payments to the program is based on financial issues. After all, if a company does not make these payments, they will free up a lot…

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  Barry Moltz

• #227 Tim Carroll, Trevor Blake, Barbara Trautlein – May 17,2013

  Barry J Moltz

  17 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Schedule Guests: Tim Carroll, Michelle McCullough, Trevor Blake, Barbara Trautlein, Josh Lesavoy, Jon Eggelton Sponsored by Nextiva and Sage Solutions.Nextiva | Sage 50 | Small Business | Sales | Marketing

• 5 Secrets Entrepreneurs Will Never Tell You

  barry

  14 May 2013 | 9:02 am

  I have been an entrepreneur for 25 years. I never planned for this to happen. I started by career at IBM and wanted to be CEO of that company. But, in 1988, the entrepreneur bug bit me and I would never be the same. Here are 5 things that an entrepreneur will never tell you: 1. It is lonely at the top. Yes, it’s cliche but that is what it feels like when you always have to make the final decision and bear the ultimate responsibility. 2. They have doubt daily. For all the bravado, ego and beaming confidence, entrepreneurs daily have a crisis in confidence. They think – what if I am…

• How to Get on a Hot Streak

  barry

  13 May 2013 | 12:56 pm

  I was always fascinated that I would have a day while I was running my business where I felt I could lose. I was on such a hot streak, everything seemed to be going my way. Then, perhaps the very next day, things would all go bad at once, and I felt I was on a cold streak. Is there any science to this? Is someone on a hot streak more likely to be successful with the next opportunity? Read the science behind it. 

• #226 James Cusamano, Wendy Weiss, Milan Ruzicka – May 10,2013

  Barry J Moltz

  10 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Scheduled Guests: James Cusumano, Danienl Isenberg, Ben Stone, Wendy Weiss, Riva Froymovich, and Milan Ruzicka. Sponsored by Sage North America and Nextiva.Nextiva | Sage Solutions | Wendy Weiss | T-Mobile | Small Business

• #225 Melissa Wilson, Eric Covino, Jonah Berger – May 03,2013

  Barry J Moltz

  3 May 2013 | 7:00 am

  Scheduled Guests: Melissa Wilson, Eric Covino, Jonah Berger, Alvaro Fernandez and Kris Duggan. Sponsored by Sage America and Nextiva. Nextiva | Sage Solutions | Small business | Peter Shankman | Jonah Berger

• 

  Free Enterprise

• What to Do When Your Kickstarter Fails

  Brett Snider, Esq.

  23 May 2013 | 1:08 pm

  Kickstarter is a great way to crowdsource investment money for you small business. That is, until your Kickstarter fails. Here is a legal look at your funding options, obligations to investors, and your promise to deliver when your Kickstarter project fails to live up to your dreams: Didn't Reach Kickstarter Goal? Don't Lose Hope Since Kickstarter began in 2009, it has successfully funded a wide variety of business ventures, from a man's dream to have a desktop jellyfish tank to Zach Braff's latest movie. But it has seen its fair share of failures as well. When a Kickstarter venture fails to…

• Can a Business Can Be Sued for Employee's Acts?

  Betty Wang

  23 May 2013 | 12:16 pm

  One of the biggest concerns for business owners is whether they can be sued for their employees' acts. Well, like most legal questions, the answer is going to be a resounding "it depends." In many cases, employees can be considered "agents" of the business they work for. While this may seem like everything an employee does can be attributed to his employer, this is not always true. So, when are employers liable, and when are they not? There are a number of different factors to consider. In the Course of Employment? Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, employers are vicariously liable…

• As Boomers Retire, a Jump in Small-Biz Acquisitions

  Brett Snider, Esq.

  22 May 2013 | 9:10 am

  Baby boomers are retiring, and that means their small businesses are being acquired at an increasing rate. Boomer business owners are starting to throw in the towel, and a recent Pepperdine University study pinned the sales of businesses from the end of 2012 and into 2013 on retirement, the Associated Press reports. What does this new trend mean for your small business? Baby Boomer Owners Ready to Sell Many baby boomers who have steered their businesses through the last several years of economic downturn are tired of weathering the storm. One 70-year-old business owner who ran a landscape…

• 5 Tips for Interviewing New Grads

  Betty Wang

  22 May 2013 | 7:46 am

  Interviewing new grads is likely going to be a task on many a to-do list for small business owners, especially this time of the year. Because with spring allergies comes not only pollen, but a confetti of tasseled graduation caps being tossed into the air. As fresh-faced young adults enter the working world, now is the time to prepare for interview season. With that being said, here are five useful tips for interviewing new graduates: Take caution when using social media to hire On one hand, it is helpful to be able to quickly filter and weed out candidates who post pictures where they're…

• Tornado Safety Tips for Business Owners

  Brett Snider, Esq.

  21 May 2013 | 11:27 am

  A tornado can destroy your business just as easily as your home. What can business owners do to keep their assets and important documents safe? While authorities are just starting to tally up the damage from Monday's deadly tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, a prior tornado that hit the same city in 1999 caused about $1 billion in damage to homes and businesses, according to The Economist. By following these tips, you can protect your business before and after a tornado threatens it: 1. Create a Tornado Safety Plan. When a tornado strikes your business, you want your employees to be prepared as well…

• 

  BuzzBooster Marketing Advisors: Shahar and Nash

• Sometimes Entrepreneurs Are So Stupid

  buzz@buzzbooster.com (Buzz Booster)

  22 May 2013 | 9:51 am

  I usually wash my car once or twice a week. I go to one of those express wash that is close to my home. I’ve been going there for at least 4 years, every week at least once. Price is fair, it is close and I never had an issue. Until the last two washes. Last week I noticed that the back of my car was still a little dirty after the wash and when I went to vacuum the car, the vacuum was very weak. I was in a hurry so I just left. Today we wash the car and the same thing happened. Back more than a little dirty and the vacuum not working. All the other vacuums were taken so I got stuck with…

• The Sound of a Number Affects Your Perception of Its Size

  buzz@buzzbooster.com (Buzz Booster)

  16 May 2013 | 3:48 pm

  In an experiment involving prices for an ice cream scoop, people perceived $7.66 as representing a larger discount from the original $10 price than it actually was (estimating, on average, that it represented a 28.7% reduction, when in reality the difference was 23.4%), and they perceived a price of $7.22 as a smaller discount than it really was, say Keith S. Coulter of Clark University and Robin A. Coulter of the University of Connecticut.   People unconsciously associate certain letter sounds, such as the “s” and “i” in “sixty-six,” with smallness…

• The power of birthday marketing campaigns

  buzz@buzzbooster.com (Buzz Booster)

  9 May 2013 | 10:46 am

  Birthday Marketing  and New Mover Marketing Campaigns Remember your last birthday? Remember what made it special? That’s easy- it’s the fact that other people remembered, and recognized the occasion. Now your restaurant can employ this simple direct mail marketing strategy into a sophisticated campaign that will help you win new customers and forge that precious relationship with your customer! A Proven Way to Create Huge Response Rates Studies have conclusively shown that a direct mail marketing program tied to birthdays provides one of the highest response rates of any form of…

• Pricing mistakes and consumer behavior

  buzz@buzzbooster.com (Buzz Booster)

  7 May 2013 | 4:20 pm

  A new study by researchers from Singapore and Yale revealed a pricing surprise: if two similar items were priced the same, subjects were much less likely to buy one than if their prices were slightly different! A tiny price difference seems to make the similar products more alike, and increases the probability that a decision will be made and not deferred. In one experiment, the researchers presented two groups of subjects with a choice. They gave all subjects a dollar with the option to buy gum or keep the money. Two similar types of gum were offered. One group saw both gum options priced at…

• The liking factor- NeuroMarketing

  buzz@buzzbooster.com (Buzz Booster)

  6 May 2013 | 4:08 pm

  Create a “liking” effect with your audience. What can you do to create a sense of commonality between you (or your company) and the customer? What are your hobbies, values and beliefs? What about your ideal customer? This is something easy to do if you really know who your ideal customer is. Petsmart did this really well by posting pictures of their executives with their pets. I like them more now! With this simple step they created a connection with their ideal clients. The more we understand our customer’s brains and how they’re wired, the better we will be able to market to them…

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  Swipely » | Swipely

• Small Businesses Throw Tweetups To Connect With Customers

  Amanda MacArthur, Managing Editor

  22 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  I threw a Tweetup once. It was December of 2009, at the former BlackStone in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. We dubbed it #JollyTweetup because it was holiday themed and we even included a Yankee Swap. At the time, there were a few popular tech-based Tweetups in Providence, but no general-interest get togethers that I knew of. About a week before the event, fear set in: What if nobody shows up? What if I didn’t order enough food? What if people don’t like me in person?  What if it’s boring and everybody leaves and then Tweets about how boring it is? Throwing any event comes with…

• Announcing Swipely’s $12M Series B Funding

  Angus Davis, Founder & CEO, Swipely

  21 May 2013 | 5:42 am

  On June 1st, 2012, Swipely launched our platform to help local merchants accept payments, understand customers and grow sales. It’s been an exciting ride ever since, and we’re proud to have been named to Forbes’ 100 list of “America’s Most Promising Companies” and one of the “Best Places to Work in Rhode Island” by Providence Business News this year. Swipely now manages more than $700 million in annual sales to help hundreds of merchants in 130 cities better understand 2 million customers. These merchants are the lifeblood of their neighborhoods, creating spots where we love…

• Do Loyal Employees Create Loyal Customers?

  Amanda MacArthur, Managing Editor

  21 May 2013 | 5:00 am

  The holy grail of a small business is having loyal customers, those who come back time and time again to do business with you and who refer other new customers to you. The tricky part is figuring out how to create this loyal base. Discounts and coupons won’t make it happen. Customers who are constantly looking for the lowest price will always be fickle, floating from store to store depending on who has the lowest price on a given day. As you should know by now, word-of-mouth is the best advertising. It comes from satisfied customers who are what author Ken Blanchard calls Raving Fans.

• 4 Ways to Find Out What Customers Say Behind Your Back

  Amanda MacArthur, Managing Editor

  20 May 2013 | 6:00 am

  In today’s business environment, reputation management is more important than ever. Word-of-mouth has always been the most effective tool for advertising, but it can also be the extremely detrimental if it’s negative. This is a problem that has been compounded exponentially in the information age. If a customer wasn’t happy with your business 30 years ago, the negative impact was generally contained within their close-knit friends and family, although it could still spread throughout the community. With online review services like Yelp and Angie’s List rising in…

• [Infographic] How To Be A Restaurant Marketing Rockstar

  Elizabeth Ducoff, PR & Marketing, Swipely

  17 May 2013 | 8:00 am

  At Swipely, we speak with hundreds of restaurant owners and marketers every week, and explore the thousands of social media sites they manage. It’s clear that everyone’s spending time on online marketing. But most don’t have a system in place to connect those marketing efforts back to offline sales. There’s a better way! Learn how to unlock the big data already running through your restaurant. After all, who doesn’t love an infographic? Embed Code:

• 

  The Art Of Small Business

• The VetFran Program Offers Veterans Specialty Franchise Opportunities

  a Guest Contributor

  23 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  Disclaimer: UPrinting is not affiliated with the author or any of the sites mentioned below. Did you know that the International Franchise Association Educational Foundation just completed a study that concluded one out of every seven franchise businesses are owned and operated by veterans of the U.S. Military? Yes, it’s true! More than a whopping 66,000 veteran-owned franchise businesses in the U.S. provide jobs directly for 815,000 Americans and generate more than $41 billion in GDP. If those statistics weren’t enough to convince you, get this; since November 2011, over 64,000…

• Why No Product Is Truly Boring: 3 Ways To Bring Life to Any Product

  Art

  22 May 2013 | 9:30 am

  Insurance, time-shares, financial instruments, office supplies -we take it for granted that some products are less interesting than others. From a marketing perspective, it might seem like a huge problem making such products and services stand out. In reality though, any product – no matter how boring you might think it is- can be made to appeal to your customers. 3.) Know Your Audience It’s unlikely for any product to have a truly universal appeal. You just can’t please everyone- especially when your product isn’t something people traditionally see as exciting or…

• Are Perverse Incentives Affecting Your Small Business?

  Art

  17 May 2013 | 7:00 pm

  During the early days of fossil hunting back in the Nineteenth Century, paleontologists realized that many of the “dragon bones” that were sold in Chinese markets were actually mineralized dinosaur bones. In a rush to gather as many of these bones as possible, paleontologists started paying Chinese peasants for every fragment they could gather. To their dismay they found that peasants were actually digging up the bones and smashing them into pieces to get the most profit from them, severely diminishing their scientific value. This incident has become a classic case study on…

• The Sustainability Index: Greening Your Small Business

  a Guest Contributor

  16 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  The way that you shop, for your home and for your business, will likely be very different in five years than it is today. Are you old enough to remember the days before the ubiquitous nutrition label was required on food products in the U.S.? They were added in 1990, and before then, consumers were widely left in the dark. At least today, if we’re buying sugar cereal packed with high fructose corn syrup, we’re doing it with full knowledge of what we’re putting into our bodies. Imagine if a similar system were in place for an item’s sustainability? Of course, today we…

• The Psychology of Financial Wealth and Independence

  a Guest Contributor

  10 May 2013 | 10:00 am

  Some rich people inherit their wealth; others earn it from nothing. However, there is one thing that is abundantly clear: Rich people think much differently from the average person. Financial freedom is a mindset as much as it is a monetary goal. A person with an income of $50,000 per year can be financially free just as easily as a person with $10 million in the bank can be in debt and enslaved to the whims of others. Although a sufficient amount of money must be earned at some point, it is not solely the amount of money that creates financial freedom. The Financially Free Mindset…

• 

  DigitalSherpa

• 10 Things to Consider When Creating a Blog for Your Business

  Justin Fishaw

  23 May 2013 | 5:38 am

  Creating a blog for your business offers a number of benefits, such as giving your brand a voice on the Internet, expanding your online reach, and positioning your business as an industry expert. If you’ve made the commitment to create and manage a business blog, here are ten essential factors to consider before getting started courtesy of Social Media Today: How will you target your customers? It’s a good idea to brainstorm who your key target audience is first as all of your...Read the whole entry... »…

• Should my small business use Groupon?

  Sarah Mincher

  22 May 2013 | 5:39 am

  Like millions of Americans across the country, I happen to love and use coupons quite frequently. No, not the type you see printed in newspapers that moms cut out and use at the grocery store ( I seriously haven’t seen a real, off-line newspaper in years. Do they still exist?  Do people know they can find them online for free and save trees? Remind me to Google that later), I use the digital coupon, known to many as Groupon. Uh oh. For those of you who don’t know, Groupon is...Read the whole entry... »…

• What Social Bookmarking Through Pinterest Can Do For Your Small Business

  Justin Fishaw

  21 May 2013 | 4:22 am

  You may have heard of social bookmarking, but don’t necessarily have a clear understanding of what the concept is. In a nutshell, social bookmarking serves as a way to organize content from all over the Internet into one location based on your interests. Perhaps one of the most popular social bookmarking sites to come about is Pinterest, which attracts an estimated 85.5 million unique visitors each month. Through this interactive website, users create virtual pin boards comprised with...Read the whole entry... »…

• Infographic: 10 SEO content writing tips

  Sarah Mincher

  20 May 2013 | 5:47 am

   SEO Copywriting // 10 tips for writing content that ranks in 2013. Your small business may not have the luxury of hiring your own social media expert, but that doesn’t mean you can’t improve your own blog writing skills in the meantime! This great inforgraphic by our friends at Content Verve illustrates ten super helpful tips for writing blog content to boost your websites SEO value (in-case that sounded like a foreign language to you, don’t worry. SEO is a simply...Read the whole entry... »…

• Weekly Top Posts: 2013-05-19

  18 May 2013 | 9:00 pm

  5 Free Online Reputation Management Tools The Importance of Instagram’s New Tagging Feature What the Oreo Campaign Did Right to Earn Top Honor by Facebook Staying Positive With Your Content Marketing Efforts How Does a Small Business Define Itself as Social?

• 

  Dean R Black - Simple. Consistent. Authentic.

• Have You Seen a Blue Ocean Strategy?

  Dean R Black

  22 May 2013 | 8:20 pm

  Have you heard of a Blue Ocean Strategy? I first heard of it about a month ago when I was listening to a new concept that was being introduced. I immediately went and looked up the term Blue Ocean Strategy. I found out that it is a strategy where instead of competing with others who [...]

• Facebook Still Top Dog in The Social Networks, Google Plus and YouTube Next

  Dean R Black

  21 May 2013 | 8:22 pm

  We all know that Facebook is the top dog in the social networks. But did you realize that Google has the next 2 spots. Google Plus comes in at #2 and YouTube is on its heals at #3. That’s right Google holds both the second and thirds spots. Found this article over on ZDNet that lists [...]

• Tumblr and Yahoo Together Forever…

  Dean R Black

  20 May 2013 | 7:33 pm

  Well the rumors have turned out to be true. Earlier today Yahoo paid a handsome price for social blogging platform Tumblr. Is it as last gasp for Yahoo to make itself relevant? Or is it a shrewd move to scoop up a younger audience for Yahoo and its advertisers? To get the full scoop you [...]

• How To Rank Better On Google. Hint Google Plus

  Dean R Black

  19 May 2013 | 7:17 pm

  Talk to anyone and they will tell you that being able to rank better on google is a huge boost for business. You can relate to that as well right. If you could rank better on google you would get more traffic to your sites and that would get you more sales. So if you [...]

• No Thanks I’m Just Browsing! On The Browser

  Dean R Black

  18 May 2013 | 6:54 am

  Every wonder what all the people on the internet are doing?  And why do they call it a browser. Because that’s what people use it for. Well I came across Seth Godins article on this and as usual he makes perfect sense. As Seth Godin points out, there are more and more people coming onto the internet [...]