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Managing a small business is always a challenge. Here are some tips to help you excel in a tough and competitive market.

Building Efficiency

Motivating employees without cash. Getting more performance out of employees isn’t always about money. Here are some other major considerations that could bring better results from those who work for you. The Fiscal Times

How IT audits can help your business. The way your small to medium sized business uses technology is clearly important. But is your current IT giving you the most bang for your buck in a difficult economy? Entrepreneur

Rules & Regs

Tips on hiring independent contractors. Hiring an independent contractor can be an excellent option for small businesses when addressing short term needs not requiring a full-time employee, but beware of the rules guiding this relationship. New York Times

Special Initiatives

Getting more green with your business. Green businesses are all the rage, but don’t make the mistake of being inauthentic. Here are some ways to keep your green initiatives on track. Small Business Trends

Getting your small business site to go viral. It’s the ultimate hope of small business owners these days. With limited resources, they hope to spread their message through their Website. But here are some things to think about first. ProBlogger

Marketing & Client Acquisition

Finding the clients that are worth your time. Part of the problem with small businesses is the wasting of time and resources on clients that don’t pan out. Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you. Business How To

What’s your marketing style? Every entrepreneur and small business owner has a unique style and approach. Match that style to a marketing strategy you can maintain over time and you’ve found the secret to getting the word out about your small business. Open Forum

Corner Office

Paying the cost to be the boss. As the old song says, being the boss comes at a price, but being a better boss may be easier than you think. Here are some tips that should make being in charge an easier thing to handle. Small Business Bonfire

Building Brand

How important is your brand? Very! In fact, for entrepreneurs and small business owners trying to build a company, branding can be the key to opening many doors. How are you building your business branding? The Work at Home Woman

Building your small business following. You may have heard that your business needs fans. If you think that makes your company feel more like a rock band than a serious venture, you may just be right! BusinessInfoGuide.com

Tips for Managing Your Small Business Now

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President Obama: Small Business is Part of His Reelection Strategy

Feb 7th

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President Obama is urging Congress to support legislation to expand tax cuts for small businesses and free up capital for startups.

President Obama

His proposed “Startup America Legislative Agenda,” would eliminate taxes on capital gains in investments in small businesses and provide a 10 percent income tax credit on for new hires or to spur job-creation, double the deductions a startup business could take from $5,000 to $10,000, and extend 100 percent first-year depreciation for qualified property. The President will offer details of his proposals in the fiscal 2013 budget that will be submitted to Congress on February 13.

In an election year in which the economy will likely be the determining factor, both Democrats and Republicans will want to be seen as supporting small business, and cutting taxes is always popular with the electorate.

The White House sees small business growth as a primary driver of the economy. In fact, my company has been providing data on loan approval rates at big banks, small banks, credit unions and other alternative lenders to the President’s Council of Economic Advisers for the past several months. While the economy has risen above the dark period in early 2009 when the country was in a tailspin, the recovery is far from complete.

Credit markets are still tight for entrepreneurs, and big banks, in particular, are making it more and more difficult for startups. For example, many ask for three years’ worth of financial data before granting loans. How can a startup provide such numbers? Therein lies the challenge.

President Obama is positioning himself as an advocate for entrepreneurship and innovation. It is a good platform for reelection. Recently, he elevated Karen Mills, head of the Small Business Administration (SBA), to be a member of his cabinet. The President called this decision:

“A symbol of how important it is for us to spur entrepreneurship, to help startups, to move aggressively so that we can assure more companies that create the most jobs in our economy.”

The SBA has been instrumental in getting funding for startups, particularly during a period when financial institutions have been reluctant to lend. The agency’s 90 percent loan guarantee program was very successful, and only a very small percentage of SBA-backed loans defaulted.

Although it is admirable that the President is trying to be innovative, I believe the government’s most effective vehicle to help small companies has been the SBA, which was created by President Eisenhower almost 50 years ago. Ironically, it has been the Republicans who have called for the scaling back of the agency. President Obama has repeatedly bolstered the SBA, and its loan programs have helped countless businesses get the funding they need for growth.

President Obama Photo via Shutterstock

President Obama: Small Business is Part of His Reelection Strategy

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Real Time Status for Your Business with GeckoBoard

Feb 6th

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Ever felt like you’d like the 911 status on your business, in one view, one place? All the vitals so you can see, at a glance, what’s going on in the different areas of your company? If you have wanted to combine your web analytics, CRM, project management, sales pipeline, customer support requests, to name just a few, then this review of GeckoBoard is for you.

The first thing to understand about GeckoBoard is that it aggregates the stuff, the information, you need or want to see in one dashboard view. That dashboard might be on your iPhone or laptop or it might be an HD television hanging in your office lobby or manufacturing floor. Each device or monitor counts as one connection and, depending on your account, you are allowed a certain number of simultaneous connections.

For small business owners who are already managing too much information, GeckoBoard provides a way to streamline and simplify the information flow across your desk.

After you sign up for a free trial, I’ll admit it can be a little intimidating to figure out. However, it doesn’t take long to get it working. They are creating a new category of web-based application — a tool that pulls all of your disparate software and applications into one view. The company calls it a “real time status board.” I can live with that. The app comes with some basic parts installed so you can view samples. By clicking “Add Widget” you quickly see how many apps are already easy to connect to, such as:

Highrise for CRM
Gmail and Mailchimp for email
FourSquare for location updates
Basecamp or Github for project management
Salesforce, Twitter, Freshbooks, Google Analytics, to name a few more and the then you have tools to create custom widgets linking into datasets that are just your own. The custom widget button helps you build from scratch.

Frankly, it is a bit mind-boggling. And that’s my only real wish for the GeckoBoard platform — that they do a bit more work on explaining what it all means for you as a small business owner. For some, it is a big “aha” and quite intuitive; for others, it’s a rabbit hole of “what does this do, really?”

Here is a sample dashboard I created in less than five minutes; after I got up the courage to hook into different data sets of my own. I set up a search on Twitter for “makers” and “inventors”; then hooked into my Gmail account (I had just emptied my inbox to look organized). I also hooked into one of my websites Google Analytics account and it was all point and click and authorize. Here’s a quick screenshot below. I left the three default sample widgets that are right on top.

If you find yourself jumping from application to application to keep up with your inbox, your tasks, your social media, you could use GeckoBoard to put it all on one screen. More so, if you have information that you want to share on a big screen with your team or your customers as they come into your company offices, you could use it that way, too. It is fairly easy to use and offers a lot of potential for those trying to see a lot in one glance. Plans start at $9/month and scale up based on connections. No credit card to sign up for a free 30-day trial (which is what I used to test it out).

Learn more about GeckoBoard.

Real Time Status for Your Business with GeckoBoard

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

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Are You Ready to Make the Jump into Small Business Ownership?

Feb 5th

There are two types of entrepreneurs: those that jump into a new business headfirst, and those that dip their toes in the water. One’s not better than the other, though the second one is probably more prepared for what lies ahead. In Making the Jump into Small Business Ownership (@MakingtheJump), authors David Nilssen (@DavidNilssen) and Jeff Levy (@JeffLTheESource) guide readers into the water, so to speak. They dissect what it takes to become a business owner into easy-to-digest chapters peppered with real-world examples.

What You’ll Find

I received a review copy of this book from the authors. Although this book was written to be used in a more formal education setting, it doesn’t come off like the college textbooks I had. It’s a pretty small book, not even 200 pages, for the amount of information it offers.

The book is divided into several sections:

Find the Entrepreneur in You
Your Business
Getting Started
Parting Thoughts

The start of the book gets you thinking about whether you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur. It doesn’t sugarcoat small business ownership; in fact, it forces you to ask yourself hard questions, like whether you’d be willing (or able) to go without a paycheck for up to two years to get your business launched. If this section doesn’t scare you off, the rest of the book will help you determine what type of business you could launch, as well as details on how to get started.

The Authors Know Their Stuff

I don’t like small business books written by people who don’t actually have experience running a business. That’s why it’s nice to know that both Levy and Nilssen have launched multiple companies and helped others with their businesses. Neither has an advanced business degree, which just goes to show you don’t have to be a Harvard MBA to be successful as an entrepreneur.

Throughout the book, both authors offer their own stories and advice to highlight a point. You build trust in them as you read.

Be Honest With Yourself

The hardest thing to really know when considering business ownership is whether you’re cut out for it. Nilssen and Levy ask some thought-provoking questions that give you an idea of how difficult, emotionally and financially, entrepreneurship can be. Ask yourself these questions and you’ll have a sense of whether you could make it as an entrepreneur:

Are you capable of putting a vision ahead of your short-term needs?
Do you perform well under pressure?
Are you a decisive person?
Will your family be able to support this decision knowing you will likely have to work longer hours and face initial financial insecurity?

What I Liked Best About Making the Jump

Having already taken the path toward entrepreneurship, I can see that the material in this book blows off the fluff and focuses on what anyone needs to know to start a business. I’ve always said you don’t have to have a degree in business to be an entrepreneur, but having the right resources to understand what it takes is key.

This book is divided into bite-sized chapters that are easy to read. I always like to “sit” on a chapter a while and reflect on what I’ve learned. There’s plenty of food for thought in this book.

Who This Book is For

If you’ve been thinking about starting a business but are unsure of the level of commitment required, this book is for you. It leaves no stone unturned, and you’ll walk away with a better idea of whether you’re ready for entrepreneurship. From finding a mentor to determining your business structure, this book has answers to many of the questions newbie entrepreneurs have. While books about social media and technology are out of date practically by the time they’re printed, the lessons taught in Making the Jump will be true in 15 years as much as they are today.

Are You Ready to Make the Jump into Small Business Ownership?

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Cautious Optimism For Small Business

Feb 4th

Jobs. What’s more important to an economy (and a household for that matter) than for people to be working? Of course there’s many factors but no matter who you are, employment and jobs are right up there at the top of the list of what is needed for a healthy and vibrant economy. That’s why I am rejoining at today’s jobs report.

The jobs report that came out today said that unemployment is at a 3 year low of 8.3% – according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics – and that we added 243,000 private sector jobs in January. Not sure about you but I like that. The market was looking for 150,000 new jobs so expectations were exceeded. I realize it’s not the 4.5% unemployment we had in 2Q 2007 but it’s also not the 10.0% we had in 4Q 2009 so we’re heading in a better direction. And, yes, I agree that we have a long way to go but I like the current trend.

What else am I (cautiously) optimistic about? Small business lending is slowly beginning to come back. About 15 months ago we heard from Bank of America that they planned to hire 1000 people primarily dedicated to the small business sector by 2012. Citi announced some impressive “results” – and, by the way BofA, you get more cool points for results than you do for intentions! Chase has also recently announced some great strides in the small business lending “results” category.

I agree with my friends and colleagues who contend that it was the local banks and smaller banks who helped us through The Great Recession with their SBA-backed lending efforts so I mean no slight to them when I say I’m happy about the direction of lending in the big-bank category.

So while the Negative Nancy’s are rolling their eyes at me and the Positive Peggy’s are ready for the big celebration here’s why neither of those extreme’s is the right place to be. 8.3% is still too high and we want a lower unemployment rate. Additionally, since we live in a global economy where ripple effects cross borders and can circle the globe, the larger concern is how the European debt defaults will impact both the world and the US economy. Greece is close to a likely default in the next month or two and some of their neighboring countries are looking at the same issue on the not-too-distant horizon.

Let’s not forget the global impact that was felt by our own US subprime mortgage defaults that have all occurred just in the last 5 years. Wasn’t it Ben Bernanke or Alan Greenspan that said, “It’s a global economy, dude?” Okay, maybe not but you get the point.

If the trend of lower unemployment continues like it has for the last 6 months then we’re all likely to be happy. Housing is still not good but can you imagine what would happen if more people get back to work and then those same people buy or refinance their homes since rates are at historic lows and then that creates more jobs in banking and lending and the unemployment percentage continues to decrease even more?

That’s one reason the Fed is keeping rates low – let’s call it the New Fed Stimulus Package or the NFSP…what do you think? I like how William Dunkelberg from the NFIB summed it up “The market was looking for 150,000 jobs, and we got 257,000. We’ll rejoice, and hope for another good month next month.”

Job Photo via Shutterstock

Cautious Optimism For Small Business

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You’ve Started A Business: Is Your Brand Protected?

Feb 2nd

Nothing represents your company and brand more than your business name. It’s the cornerstone of your business and shapes everything that follows – from marketing tone to a customer’s first impressions.

Have you protected this valuable asset? How well do you understand trademark law? Maybe you’re just starting your business. Maybe you’ve been running a successful business for years, but administrative details always seem to take a back seat to day-to-day operations. When it comes to your business name and trademark protection, a few proactive steps can go a long way toward protecting your business name, brand and identity.

I’ve registered with the state…isn’t that enough?

Many new business owners often think that registering with their state (by incorporating or filing a DBA) is enough to protect them. Yet there is an important distinction. When you incorporate, form an LLC, or file a DBA (Doing Business As), this process registers your business name with that state’s secretary of state. Once approved, the business name is yours and yours alone to use within that state. It prevents anyone else from using the name within the state, but it doesn’t offer any kind of protection in the other 49 states.

What does this mean? If you’ve started a business that’s physically tied to your state (for example, a boutique shop) and never plan on expanding into other states, registering your name with the state or county might be enough brand protection for you. But if you’re planning on conducting business outside your own state, or even on the Internet, you should look into trademark protection.

The Benefits of a Trademark

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design (or a combination of any of these) that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. Trademarks are managed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

There’s no legal requirement for you to register a trademark. Using a business name can give you ‘common law’ rights, even without formally registering it. However, as expected, trademark law is quite complex. Simply registering a DBA in your state doesn’t automatically grant you common law rights; in order to claim first use, the name has to be ‘trademarkable’ and in use in commerce.

By registering for U.S. Federal Trademark protection, you’ll be eligible for several benefits, including: treble damages in some cases of infringement, the right to use the ® in your trademark, and a streamlined process for securing your domains and usernames at social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Trademarks registered with the USPTO enjoy significantly stronger protection than ‘common law’ (unregistered) marks. This can make it significantly easier to recover your property. For example, if someone happens to be using your company name as their Twitter handle. Additionally, trademarks have value and can be sold as corporate assets.

How to Register a Trademark

To register a trademark, you’ll need to file an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It’s approximately $325 (for online filing) per class that your mark falls under and the process can take anywhere from 6-12 months once you submit your application.

Before submitting an application, you should perform a trademark search first to make sure your proposed mark is available. This should include a free online trademark search to check availability. If that preliminary search shows the mark is available, follow up with a comprehensive trademark search that scours local databases, common law, and county registrars. Here’s why a comprehensive search is prudent. If your name turns out not to be available, your application will be rejected right away – meaning you’ll lose your application fee, not to mention all the time invested in the application.

If you have already incorporated or formed an LLC for your business, you should register your trademark under the umbrella of the corporation or LLC. And if you are considering incorporating or forming an LLC but haven’t gotten around to it yet, you should do so before registering any trademarks.

While the process of registering a trademark is more involved than registering a DBA, rights to your name will be enforced by both federal and state governments. And registering a trademark can save you a ton in legal fees down the road.

Trademark Photo via Shutterstock

You’ve Started A Business: Is Your Brand Protected?

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Stop Saying That! Lost For Words in Small Business

Feb 2nd

Communications are important in any small business. Here’s a crash course in how to become a great communicator you won’t want to miss.

Collaboration

Trimming your business language. Learning to communicate effectively, especially when it comes to business, can be extremely important for any entrepreneur or small business person. But just as there is a best way to communicate in business, there is a worst and some words the experts feel should be left behind. Yahoo! Finance

How to work together. One of the important aspects of small business success along with communication is a sense of team work or knowing how to work together. But did you know you could build your entire business model around the idea of working together? BizSugar Blog

Human Services

Playing well with others. Getting along and being able to work well even with those you don’t care for is important. Whether you manage others in your small business or are a solopreneur with a workforce of one, interaction will be unavoidable. Pick you strategy. Z-S Knowledge Center

Hiring the perfect employees. One of the ways to avoid a bad work environment before it can even start is to make sure you hire right when bringing people into your organization. The process can be easier than it seems. Bloggertone

Online

Communicating effectively with your Website design. In a way, the design of your small business Website can also be thought of as a form of communication between you and your customer. If you don’t learn how to carry on that communication effectively it may translate into lack of sales. ScottFox

What your landing page is saying. Think the design of something as simple as your landing page isn’t important? Think again! Like every other part of your Website, it sends a powerful message about you and your business. But what message is your landing page sending to customers? Sales Tip a Day

Marketing

How to get noticed. It would be great if communicating over just one channel were effective. Unfortunately, as we all know today, it’s not. There are many ways to get your message across and “getting noticed” is about choosing the right one. Dr. Shannon Reece

Talking to humans and robots. If you want to create the content that will make your online communications effective, you will have to think of all the possible audiences. Writing for the Web may be the most important kind of communicating you can do with your business today, but learning the craft is an ongoing challenge. Todaymade

Customer Relations

Patience is a virtue…even in marketing? Marketing can be a waiting game. That’s especially true in online marketing where you may have to wait for results from your marketing efforts. Is patience a quality your small business communications possess? Idea Sprouts

Customer satisfaction. It’s the best feedback you can get from the people who buy your products or services. Why would you want any less? Make sure your customers are happy. Take pride in doing all you can for them. It’s the best way to communicate to them what their business means to you. You’re the Boss

Stop Saying That! Lost For Words in Small Business

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How To Find New Clients And Business

Feb 2nd

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Marketing Tips

How To Find New Clients And Business Is What Seperates The Great Businesses From The Mediocre. This Ebook Covers Many Strategies – Referrals, Cold Calling, Getting To Decision Makers, Elevator Pitch, Internet Marketing And Much More.
How To Find New Clients And Business

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Google Makes Business Photos Self-Service

Feb 1st

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Back in May we told you about Google Business Photos, an effort by Google to pair small business owners up with professional photographers to take high-quality images of their business for their Google Places profile. At the time the program was only available in select cities so we encouraged SMBs not to wait for Google and to take their own photos. Today we tell you that if you didn’t listen to us, you’re in luck because Google just made the whole program self-service. So if you do want a professional photographer to come take photos of your business, here’s your chance.

Because of the success of the original pilot, Google has created a new Business Photos Web site so that small business owners can find a “trust photographer” in their area. SMBs can get started by finding a photographer from Google’s list and then both parties work out a time and price on their own. Within days your photos will then be available on Google’s properties. Google has essentially taken itself out of the equation and is now playing match-matcher between SMBs and photographers.

A few things worth noting about the program:

In its FAQ, Google does disclose that these photos may be used outside of just your Google Places profile, including possible Google Maps integration. By allowing a Google “trusted photographer” to take your business photos, you license the photos to Google to use. This probably isn’t an issue for most SMBs who want their photos out there, but something to keep in mind for certain businesses. If you want full rights to your pictures, you may want to hire your own photographer and not go through Google.

Something else to keep in mind is you won’t have the ability to review the photos before they go live on your Google Place page. Again, from the Google FAQ:

Because of the technology takes individual unstitched and unreviewed images that need considerable processing after they are uploaded by the photographer, to produce the attractive ‘walk- through’ experience, you will not be able to review the images before they are uploaded to Google.

However, if you find a major issue, you can ask Google to blur some areas of the panoramic images. You can also ask to have all panoramas removed, but they’re unable to take down individual ones, which may be a bummer.

Months after our original post, I still think small business owners are better off finding their own photographer rather than looping Google into the process. By doing your own legwork you can potentially find a photographer you can barter services with (allowing you to get the photos for free) and you get full control over how many photos are taken, which are used, and how they’re used. Maybe I’m just paranoid but I don’t see the value of bringing Google into the equation.

However, if you’re interested, Trusted Photographers is currently available in 14 US cities (Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco/Bay Area, Seattle and Washington, DC.), as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and France.

Happy photo taking.