Home Wealth Project
Extensive Research On How To Build Wealth From The Comfort Of Your Own Home.
Top Resources For Your Small Business
Nov 6th
As a small business owner, the resources at your disposal can be the key to your success. Knowledge is power and while your business, product or service should certainly be original, there are plenty of lessons you can take from other business thought leaders to help you push that original concept to the next level.
Information & Tactics
Top resources for your small business. This list of resources for small business leaders and entrepreneurs includes Small Business Trends and our sister site BizSugar and will supply plenty of ideas for use in your own business. Montreal Financial
Six branding tips for small business success. Creating a powerful brand doesn’t require a huge budget or massive amounts of infrastructure. In fact, as this post demonstrates, a few simple tips may be all you need. TheOneOfAKindPreneur
Networking & Customer Service
How to find your small business influencers. Often the secret to small business success is to make sure you don’t have to do everything yourself. Step one can be to find others who share your small business message. SaucyHorse
Customer service and the human touch. Technology can help run most small businesses today, but don’t forget your customers are human. As a small business owner, your ability to connect is a major competitive advantage. Step By Step Marketing
Management Matrix
The simplest tool for business success? No it’s not the latest flashy dashboard or interactive Website or even the proper application of social media marketing. In fact, the answer may surprise you. Ability Success Growth
Tips for managing your inventory. If your business has any kind of inventory, it’s important to manage it well. Poorly managed inventory creates a variety of problems even if your sales are strong. Entrepreneur
Tools & Measures
Tech toys to cut your IT costs. Here are 25 tools that are any cost cutting technopreneurs dream. Though gadgets are not the only factor in your success, those that boost productivity and reduce expense deserve attention. GetApp.com
A measure for business growth. Growing your business, even in a small and clearly defined niche, can be important. But growth comes with its own set of risks. Here’s how to evaluate them. Inc.com
Skills & Strategy
The top skills for entrepreneurs. If you could reduce or distill the skills needed by any entrepreneur (or small business owner, for that matter) to just three, what would they be? Do you have these skills in your entrepreneur tool box? James Brown Marketing
Tips for building a more visible business. Don’t keep your company a secret. Here are five tips to make sure your business, product or service doesn’t stay under the radar longer than necessary. Buzz Small Business Magazine
Top Resources For Your Small Business
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
On Giving $100K in Free WordPress Resources to Educators
Sep 23rd
One of our core values at iThemes (and my personal life) is … Learn and Grow, then Teach and Share.
Our commitment has always to helping individuals on our teams grow and push themselves to do more.
We started a nonprofit web tech foundation to help individuals in Oklahoma aspire to make careers in web design and development.
Today, we just announced our Education Program with another example of how we live this core value — we’re giving away about $100K in free web design resources to educators.
Learn more about our new Education Program here … and if you’re an Educator, see if you qualify and submit an application!
Related posts:
- Why Free Internet Delivery Is the Future for TV and Movies
- WordPress Plugin Store Launches Tomorrow
- On Giving Back – Our New Nonprofit Launched This Week
View full post on Cory Miller | Adventures in Entrepreneurship
Art Marketing Resources from FineArtViews
Sep 23rd
As an artist, your website is your home base . . .your hub. – where you and your visitors connect. Since your web site is your home base, you need to make sure that it includes certain information and features that art collectors have come to expect.
Art Marketing Resources from FineArtViews
Small Business Resources You Won’t Want to Miss
Sep 20th
Don’t miss our list of small business resources. They’re really the best. Pulled from the best sites across the Web, these resources will help you get your business started and keep it going to meet your goals for small business success. Please add your own suggestions in the comments below.
Tools & Tips
Google+ Resources for small business. Do you use Google+. Though you may not yet realize it, there are tremendous resources available to the small business owner or entrepreneur here and you should consider using them immediately. Here are some combined with great advice to get you started. Social Media Examiner
Making sure customers and clients pay. Landing the customer or client you need is one thing. Making sure they pay in a timely fashion is another. Here are some suggestions that should make things go smoother. Making sure you get paid in a timely manner by the clients and customers you serve is as important to your business as the service you provide. Growth University
Giveaways
Free pass to BlogWorld. With the importance of blogging and social media to small business, BlogWorld, the premier blogging and social media event, has become a must for many small business owners and entrepreneurs, particularly if a substantial part of their business is conducted online. Here is an opportunity to win a free pass to the November event from Anita Campbell. Small Business Trends
Customer Service
Online miniseries about customer experience. What is superior customer experience and how do you go about providing it? The fact is that superior customer experience can manifest itself in many ways, but can also differentia between you and the competition. Here is a link to one in post in an excellent miniseries that looks at how to create superior customer service for yourf customer or client. 365 Days of Startups
Building an online hub for small business success. If you’re creating a business online, your Website must be the center, the hub of all you do. To make sure you realize this goal, you must start with a plan. Include the things that will more your online business forward. Cut out whatever holds you back. MattReport.com
Startup Resources
A brand new source of business credit. At a time when startup and other small business credit is at a premium a new answer presents itself. Kabbage offers crowdsourced credit scores for its customers, a new way to finance a startup or small business today. How can your small business or startup take advantage of this new opportunity. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
How to start your business over the weekend. Think we’re kidding? Then check out this post about Garage48. It’s a series of workshops for entrepreneurs. The appeal? You can attend the workshop and have your company up and running Sunday night. How’s that for speeding up time to market. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Finance
When government loans are the only option. Tight lending, a tough economy and the availability of loans guaranteed by the government have forced some small business owners who might have initially avoided trying for FDA loans giving it a shot. But the approach is not about his problems. WSJ
Leadership
Resources for becoming a great leader. If you want to become a better leader in your business the resources may be right within your own business, perhaps within the ranks of your employees. So how can you harness this power to improve your leadership skills as well? It’s easier than you might think. This post shares more. YourOfficeAnywhere
Moving ahead with your small business startup. Many entrepreneurs have awesome ideas and even a great start for their businesses, but have trouble taking things to the next level. Getting your business from up and running to “Point B,” as guest blogger Bob La Loggia explains in this post. Startup Professionals Musings
Small Business Resources You Won’t Want to Miss
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Great Small Business Resources Online
Jul 7th
Searching the Internet can be one of the best ways of finding resources as a small business owner or entrepreneur these days. Get questions answered. Interact with others. Find partners, employees, customers, investors and suppliers. This wrap up is dedicated to highlighting some of the latest and greatest small business resources online. Share them with others and add your own suggestions below.
Operations
How online resources can be your business. When Holly Hanna learned she was expecting a daughter, she began to prepare for her dream of being a stay at home mom while working from home online. Her frustrating search for online resources became The Work At Home Woman, a blog and business built to help mompreneurs create online businesses from home. BizSugar Blog
Places to hire employees online. In this guest post we learn about the vast number of online resources for hiring full-time and part-time help on the Web. Draw from a workforce that includes everyone on Earth except perhaps those who aren’t online and have no means of getting there. Christine.biz
Self-development
Where to go to learn about leadership. There are plenty of resources on the Web for those interested in learning about leadership. Don’t stop with the link above. This site has many excellent resources to help the small business owner or entrepreneur. Information is the key to improving your business so start taking advantage of the resources of the Web today. Open Forum
Social Media
Learn about Postling and other social media tools. Online resources are a great place to go for the latest on social media. From large sites like Facebook and LinkedIn to smaller more niched social media sites, information and features change so rapidly that online resources with their constantly updating content are often the best place to take the pulse of social media. Small Business Trends
Trends
Learning to build a smarter business. The world of business intelligence and analytics teaches us to create businesses much smarter than ever before, beginning to measure everything from supply chains to revenue models to online traffic. Online communities like this one offer more details and resources. All Analytics
Latest in small business tech. The Web is also a great place to research the latest technology for helping the entrepreneur or small business owner stay mobile. Even more important for small business owners are tools that enhance their efficiency. Tools that virtually allow a busy entrepreneur to be more than one place at a time are worth their weight in gold. WSJ
Research
Features, capabilities and benefits in the sales process. Online resources provide tremendous insight into the sales process and just about every other aspect of running your business. Take this post on changing your sales approach. Online resources can be a tremendous value to entrepreneurs if kept accessible. What have you learned this week from online resources? Love to hear!Open Forum
Information on small business job loss. Data of every kind is available online from policy to strategy to peer reviews. More importantly, niche reports and data either never reported upon or downplayed by the mass media can now be shared with fellow entrepreneurs. Your business improves with every new piece of information you gather. Small Business Trends.
Conclusion
The state of small business today. While larger companies are again seeing profits, small businesses continue to struggle. Here are some of the reasons in a simple link above? The number of people who have lost jobs in the smallest businesses is staggering. What can the small business community do to help? WSJ
Providing endless experience from entrepreneurs. Online resources include not just data but plenty of opinion and experience too. One of the best aspects of the online resources available for small business owners and entrepreneurs is that they often come with input from other entrepreneurs just like you. What a help to hear from your peers! Leap Year
Great Small Business Resources Online
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Small Business Events, News, Resources
May 19th
It’s Small Business Week and we begin with news related to this celebration of the most important part of our economy. We then move on to resources with some important links we hope readers will find useful. Please bookmark and share our roundup and enjoy the benefits of an enhanced and expanding network. Enjoy!
Events
President Obama announces Small Business Week. We have the full press release and you can read it here. In it, Obama said, “Our country started as an idea, and it took hard-working, dedicated, and visionary patriots to make it a reality. A successful business starts much the same way—ideas realized by entrepreneurs who dream of a better world and work until they see it through.” Small Business Trends
An agenda of small business week events. An agenda involving some small business listening sessions has been laid out for the week by U.S. House of Representatives members. Here’s a look at the entire schedule for the week including what’s happened thus far. There is also other important information on the committee and how small business owners can get in touch. House Committee on Small Business
Policy
Politics continues to interfere. Of course, while events like National Small Business Week are intended to show Washington’s support, political wrangling continues to cause interference even with bills both sides seem to agree will benefit small businesses in the long-run. Do you feel Washington should pay more than just lip service to small business in the U.S.? Why not let your legislator know? You’re the Boss
White House releases report on small business aid. But candidly admits its efforts haven’t been sufficient. While clearly timed to coincide with the beginning of National Small Business Week, the document is another reminder of how policy has not improved the prospects of small business in the U.S. Do small business owners have a better perspective on what policy makers could really do to help? Bloomberg BusinessWeek
Read the full report here. The Small Business Administration has posted a complete copy of the report by the National Economic Council under the optimistic banner “The Small Business Agenda: Growing America’s Small Businesses to Win the Future,” but some say the document is hardly a cataloging of success in any government policy so far. SBA.gov
Resources
10 ways to build a small business that lasts. Small Business Trends co-founder Anita Campbell will host an exciting Twitter chat in honor of National Small Business Week. The event is planned for today (May 18) from 8 -9 pm Eastern US time. You can join in or follow along using the hashtag #smallbizchat to participate. Anita Campbell on Twitter
Win an iPad and follow guests for National Small Business Week. You can do it all in one place. John Jantsch has asked a group of small business bloggers (including our own Anita Campbell) to contribute a week’s worth of content on the subject and you’ll be able to access it all as it is published. You can also check out John’s tech giveaway contest at the same link above. Duct Tape Marketing
Get a free business valuation while supplies last. In addition to a free iPad, how about a free business valuation? One business-for-sale Website is giving 250 away free on a first come first serve basis. The offer is being made to coincide with National Small Business Week and can be used to establish a fair value for your business using other similar recently sold businesses for comparison. BizBuySell.com
Tech
Small Business Week sees new innovations. New features in accounting and payment software will revolutionize the way small businesses, particularly small contractors, will operate moving into the future. Can you imagine accounting software that helps you more closely monitor profits and make smarter decisions? How about technology that allows payments to be made through a cell phone with no credit card required? If you can dream it, someone may be designing a new feature for you. Constructech
FCC launches new Website for small business security. Citing data suggesting that small businesses loose billions annually and that a high percentage have reported falling victim to cyber attacks, the federal agency announced resources Monday that will help small businesses cope. The announcement was made in conjunction with the beginning of National Small Business Week. A variety of resources are suggested to help small businesses limit their security exposure online. Read more. BusinessNewsDaily
Small Business Events, News, Resources
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Internet Marketing Resources Revealed
Apr 28th
Internet Marketing Resources Free download reports, Private label rights, Master resale rights.
Internet Marketing Resources Revealed
10 Web Resources For Government Contracting
Dec 15th
It’s easier than ever to scope out Federal government contracting opportunities to bid on. Today you can do a lot online.
I used to think that you needed to have an office in the Washington, D.C. area in order to get serious about government business. After all, that’s where most government buyers are located.
However, after attending an event not long ago in Chicago called Victory in Procurement, put on by American Express OPEN (a sponsor of this site) and some partner organizations such as SCORE, I was struck by how frequently the advice centered around using websites.
The Web, it turns out, can be used to conduct part of the process of discovering and pursuing opportunities. Let’s dig into 10 of those Web resources:
Counseling and advice on government contracting - Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs); Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs); and SCORE are 3 places to get advice about breaking into government contracting. The counselors at those organizations can all refer you on to additional resources. All have local offices as well as websites.
The event I attended had numerous SCORE counselors who offered free advice at the start of the day (see photograph above). Mark Dobosz, a SCORE counselor (@Consulting Mark on Twitter), was a key SCORE contact at the event (pictured below at the SCORE booth).
Federal Business Opportunities website (FBO.gov) - I lost count of how many times the FBO.gov website was mentioned by speakers the government contracting event. It’s obviously key to your efforts. At the website you can search for active federal business opportunities valued at more than $25,000. There are 23,600 opportunities listed on that site as of this writing. Also search under “awarded contracts” says Lourdes Martin-Rosa (pictured below left, with Karen-Michelle Mirko of American Express OPEN). This will tell you which agencies have bought which products and services in the past. use that information to compile a database of prospects.
Central Contractor Registration (CCR.gov) – As the name suggests, this is the website where you register as a contractor. Once you’ve registered you’ll be given an opportunity to fill out a profile on an SBA website. “Take advantage of it,” says Lourdes. Other businesses looking to team up or subcontract business out will look at these SBA profiles. You will also need a DUNS (Dun and Bradstreet) number. It’s free to get a DUNS and takes about a day. There’s a link to the DUNS form right on CCR.gov.
U.S. Small Business Administration Subcontracting Network (SBA Subnet) – This website is a database that helps you find subcontracting opportunities.
GSA eLibrary — The GSA eLibrary website provides GSA contract award information. If you plan to go after business on the GSA schedule, you’ll need to become familiar with that site.
OSDBU Council — Every year the Council puts on the OSDBU Conference. Many of the speakers at the Victory in Procurement event recommended attending this conference, because it includes representatives from all Federal agencies and prime contractors, and is considered an excellent place to network and make connections, as well as understand expectations of Federal buyers.
BusinessMatchMaking.com – This website features events, workshops and seminars that help businesses connect with government buyers. Be sure to get your business registered in the Small Business Directory, and check out the Buyer’s Portal for Federal, state and local government buyers.
TeamingUSA.com – This website is designed specifically to help small businesses find and connect with teaming partners. Set up your online profile and start searching for partners.
Finally be sure to check out my two other articles with coverage from this event:
Government Contracting Doesn’t Have to Be Mysterious – 3 Steps to Success
Business Teaming Gives You Leverage
10 Web Resources For Government Contracting
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Doing Business in Brazil: Advice and Resources
Dec 8th
Have you considered expanding to other countries? Perhaps doing business in Brazil? If so, we have the perfect event for you.
The Economist will be hosting a two-day event online for entrepreneurs and business owners seeking opportunities for conducting business in Brazil and moving into that’s country’s economic market. The aptly titled event, Doing Business in Brazil, will take place on December 14th – 15th, 2010.
This online event will provide:
- Practical advice to guide you gently into the Brazilian market
- The unprecedented opportunity to connect with consultants, lawyers, bankers and other investors for entrepreneurs to learn, collaborate, and explore ways to enter the Brazilian market.
- Access to resources and influential connections
The key to expanding in any new geographic market is knowing the lay of the land. It’s especially important when it’s a foreign country. You have to understand the economic, social, legal and business environment. You need market research to understand where the opportunities are and how to go after them. And you need connections who can open doors for you. That’s what you get by participating in this online event.
You don’t have to “attend” the full two days. Join in for however long you can. And if you’re not sure what an “online fair” is, check this out and learn.
There is no charge for this event. Registration is required for a free online pass.
Register for the FREE 2-day online event now.
Doing Business in Brazil: Advice and Resources
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
Spotlight on Human Resources Books: Small Business Book Awards
Dec 3rd
It’s been said that small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy. But people are the lifeblood of a small business.
Human resource issues are unique in the small business environment. Our size not only allows us to respond to the market with greater speed (a plus), but we also feel the impact of team dynamics more aggressively (the good, the bad and the ugly).
This brings me to today’s feature category for the Best of 2010 Small Business Awards. This post is the 2nd in our 6-part series putting the spotlight on the books in each category of the Book Awards. (See yesterday’s post on entrepreneurship books.) Today’s spotlight is on Human Resources books.
The Human Resources category is the smallest category in the Awards, with just 4 books. Yet, don’t underestimate the punch that these 4 books deliver. Whether the topic is discovering what motivates us as businesspeople; coping with jerks in the workplace; giving employees respect; or climbing the career ladder — the topics are of great interest to people individually and can have a significant impact on your business’s bottom line.
The 4 Human Resource books that are nominated so far, include:
Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work
Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT
by Paul Marciano
Drive
The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us
by Daniel Pink
Getting to the Top
Strategies for Career Success
by Kathryn Ullrich
No Jerks on the Job
Who They Are, They Harm They Do, and Ridding Them from Your Workplace
by Ron Newton
For good Human Resource reads, check out the nominated books in the category. Vote. Nominate. Read. Share.
If you don’t see your favorites, then nominate them. In the meantime, happy Human Resources.
Spotlight on Human Resources Books: Small Business Book Awards
View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends
