Small business owners are in the trenches everyday creating businesses that change the world or their little corner of it. Starting a small business involves more than simply imagination or good leadership. It involves a wide variety of skills and wearing a wide variety of hats. But mainly being in the trenches of small business means improvising in the heat of action. From dealing with government policies to the basics of developing products and services and marketing them, small business owners do it all. Here are a few things to help along the way.

Policy

In defense of the small business bill?  SBA Administrator Karen Mills takes a swipe at critics who question a proposed Small Business Jobs Act aimed at increasing loan availability for small business…among other things. She doesn’t mention that the tax breaks also granted under the bill would be more helpful if accompanied by a broad-based tax reduction putting more disposable income in the hands of consumers to improve sales.  The White House Blog

The new small business health insurance credit.  The IRS has just released its draft guidelines for a new small business health insurance credit under the newly passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Despite claims that the credit should encourage small businesses that have not yet done so to invest in health insurance it seems unlikely the credit would make the cost of new benefits worthwhile.  Journal of Accountance

Do you own a rural small business? Rural small business owner and advocate Becky McCray interviews USDA Rural Development Director for Iowa Bill Menner about the ways his agency can aid small businesses. USDA Rural Development resources include rotating loan programs accessed through your county and grants for agricultural producers. You should definitely seek out such programs for financing if applicable in your community. Watch the entire interview for more details.  Small Biz Survival

Startups

Want some tips for growing your company?  Here are six tips for growing your small business the author guarantees won’t drive you crazy. Amongst the most important points are: organize, automate and follow-up. There are plenty of ways to apply the advice in this article no matter what kind of small business you might be operating or what kind of products or services you might be offering customers.  Entrepreneur Corner

Using design concepts in your next product. Creators of the popular iPad Pulse app say they’re kind of on the practical-minded side but took a designer’s approach when it came to creating their product and their business. Here are some pointers from the design world that may help your next business venture.  Fast Company

Operations

Are your advisors a bunch of Bobbleheads?  In this entertaining look at the wrong kind of business relationships (and the right kind), executive management advisor Tony Johnston takes an old idea and gives it a great contemporary twist. You’ll love the bobbing bobblehead that greets you at the top of the column!  Biz Money Matters

The best people and the best tech. You might expect a forum member from a big technology company like Cisco Systems to come down on the side of tech in a debate like this when considering small business functionality. In fact, both people and technology are critical to your business endeavor. We couldn’t agree more.  Cisco Innovators Forum

Marketing

Marketing with a video event. It’s important to think outside the box even when you’re in the trenches of small business, and that’s precisely what Jessica Kim, founder of Babbaco, specializing in creative baby products, did when she decided to launch this new product with a streaming video happening for her company’s fans.  The Rise to the Top

Making the world a better place.  Bet you’ve never thought of marketing like this. Maybe you’ve never even thought of small business like this. But suppose, just suppose, you started to? There’s a huge untapped market out there and it’s worth millions even if those who make it up are amongst the poorest in the world.  Seth Godin’s Blog

Self-development

Taking on the impossible.  In part two of his post on “How to Fight Above Your Weight Class, S. Anthony Iannarino takes a serious look at an issue every small business must face. Taking on competitors bigger, stronger and more well-financed than you will be a way of life. Here are some basic resources to get you started.  The Sales Blog

From Small Business Trends

Small Business News: In The Trenches

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