Small business articles
Showing page 29 of 31 - There are 915 Small business articles
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - The small business success summit (october 10, 2003 to october 12, 2003)
- Copyright 2005 Black Butterfly Press
By Maxine Thompson (http://www.maxinethompson.com)
While at the Pacific Ocean the other day, penning this article, I watched a homeless man dig inside a garbage can and ferret out a thrown away bag of fast food. Of course, I felt moved to give him a small ...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - The power of small business branding through private labeling
- Please consider this article for publication in your newsletter or on your website. Permission is granted to reprint for free with resource box and byline intact. Please send me a copy of your publication if you choose to include my article.
The Power of Small Business Branding Through Private Labeling
Your Label Says A Lot About Your Business
A brand is a powe...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - The number one reason for business failure!
- Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door."
But when you're starting your own business, there's no guarantee that your "mousetrap" is going to survive, especially in today's fast-paced business world.
Nearly half of all small businesses fail within the first two years of operation. The number one reason for busine...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - The 8 toughest business questions
- Do you ever wonder if you will really succeed with your
small business? You may have a number of special traits, but
how well developed are they? There are qualities of endeavor
and achievement that are common to successful business
owners. Ask yourself these questions to see if you have what
it takes.
1. How will the business affect your family? T...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - The 7 keys to asking clients the right questions
- The secret to successful communication in business and in everyday life is asking the right questions. Understanding the value of effective questioning is probably the single most dominant factor in achieving business success. The way to learn about what people need is to ask a question and then listen carefully to the answer.
What do Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, and Barbara Walters a...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Staying sane survival tips for small business owners
- Your lunchtime thoughts are comprised of brilliant marketing strategies and anxiety over bill payments. You're the CEO, human resources director, janitor, and administrative assistant all wrapped up into one. You open the doors at dawn and lockup when it's time to wrap up for the day.
Welcome to the world of small business ownership. Lovely, isn't it?
Of course, the r...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Staying sane for small business owners
- Your lunchtime thoughts are comprised of brilliant marketing strategies and anxiety over bill payments. You're the CEO, human resources director, janitor, and administrative assistant all wrapped up into one. You open the doors at dawn and lockup when it's time to wrap up for the day.
Welcome to the world of small business ownership. Lovely, isn't it?
Of course, the r...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Starting a business? what new (and existing) business owners should know
- Starting a business can be overwhelming enough trying to get up and running but when you think about all the tax requirements, your cup may runneth over. Here is what you must know in order to start your own business on the right foot and avoid paying penalties and interest which can cost more than paying an accountant to do things right the first time.
WHAT FORM OF BUSINESS SHOULD ...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - So good you can sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves
- A good salesman is born that way; it is not a learned behavior. End of story. Go solve another mystery. This one is over.
Crack any sales help book and you'll find all of the traits the author says a good salesman must have. He must be an early riser, well-organized, diligent, a great communicator, well-dressed, punctual, tactician, statistician, creative, bold, a great listener, a ...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business pricing strategies
- It's tough out there, particularly because of layoffs and our sluggish economy. So what's a small business entrepreneur trying to make a living to do? Try these low-cost pricing strategies to keep sales moving.
TACTIC #1 -- Never simply slash your prices, unless you're trying to empty obsolete inventory. Instead, try repackaging your prices so they're more affordable in the short-ru...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business planning -- three myths
- Copyright 2005 Denise OBerry
Are you -- like 70 percent of small business owners -- working without a plan? Here are three myths that need to be dispelled about strategic planning for small business.
1. It has to be formal -- Not so.
The value of a strategic plan for your small business is in putting the ideas on paper, creating action steps that will g...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business merchant accounts
- A small business merchant account may be just what your company needs to edge out the competition. If your customer base is growing or they are asking increasingly for credit payment options as well as for information about your products and services, a merchant account can answer their questions and help to grow your business while leaving your competitors in the dust.
It is easy t...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business investments
- State laws have been relaxed to make it easier for small business to raise start-up and growth financing from the public. Many investors view this as an opportunity to “get in on the ground floor??? of an emerging business and to “hit it big??? as the small businesses grow into large ones.
Statistically, most small ...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business debt collection letter writing
- Writing a debt collection letter is one of the most important skills of any small business owner. Do you have what it takes to get the money you've earned?
I have a confession: I'm a business writer who's let clients get away with not paying me--a huge sign of failure of my writing abilities. You see, I never learned one of the most important writing skills for any self-employed per...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business debt collection law cheat sheet
- In your small business debt collection laws will eventually become important, as your debt grows and some clients do not pay.
To collect small business debts legally, you must first send a written notice that collections have begun, within five days of first contacting the debtor for collections (for instance, within five days of calling on the telephone). The letter must include di...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business crm is here to stay
- If you ask most small business owners what priority CRM has in their short-term business plans, chances are you'll get more than one blank stare. The fact is that most small business owners don't even know what CRM is not to mention how significantly it can benefit their growing company. This prevailing ignorance of small business CRM (customer relationship management) usually stems from just a fe...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business collection agencies get you paid
- If you're like many small business owners, the mountain of debt you accumulated during startup might have been enough to make you worry about collection agencies every time you answered the phone. But your feelings toward collection agencies are eventually going to change, if they haven't already.
Small Business Collection Agency Services: More Benefits than Costs
Sma...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Small business 101: deadly ignorance
- Copyright 2005 Daniel Sitter
American small business is again in transition. Many employees, now working from home, are no longer tied to a geographic office and the woes of commuting. This is a relatively new phenomenon with hints of explosive sector growth in the days ahead. As this turbulent economy has forced downsizing, offshore restructuring and closures in large companies, ma...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Six sigma for small business
- It is not surprising that some people may perceive Six Sigma as being only for large corporations. Major corporations such as Allied Signal, Black & Decker, Dow Chemical, Dupont, Federal Express, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Kodak, Motorola, Sony, and Toshiba have all rolled out Six Sigma efforts and achieved outstanding results. Yet, it is incorrect to think that Six Sigma process impro...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Secret strategies of the gurus: guru 1 - bill gates as a small business entrepreneur
- Introduction:
Strategies are strategies. Dismiss for a moment from your mind what some people are saying about Bill Gates's offensive practices he used to transform himself from a small business entrepreneur to a titan in the business world. There are yet honest-to-goodness strategies we can glean from his sleeves. We can study, learn from them and possibly apply them in our own home based ...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Sba's 8(a) program can help some companies compete
- Q: A friend told me that as a woman of Native American descent I might be eligible for a special SBA program that will help me start a small business. He said I could compete for government contracts through this program. Can you tell me what SBA program he's referring to?
-- Clara P.
A: Your friend is probably referring to the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 8(a) Busin...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Protect your business by performing a background check
- The success of a business endeavor involves a concerted efforts of financing, strategic planning, product design or service positioning, marketing, sales, and customer support. One of most important aspects of doing business is the people you deal with everyday - your employees, your partners and your competitors. Whether you are a small business owner or a human resource manager of a large corpor...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Positioning in small business marketing
- Copyright 2005 J D Moore
Positioning is another one of those marketing jargon words that everybody throws around and is important to understand. It's also important to understand how positioning specifically applies to your small business marketing.
Basically a marketing position describes your unique place in the market. The key word here is unique. What makes you di...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Persistence: a key ingredient in the recipe for a successful small business
- It has been said that success is rarely easy or quick and that it is only the product of consistent effort which is repetitively applied. This is definitely the case for the small-business owner when trying to become successful in the cutthroat world of marketing. Any successful business depends upon marketing your product or services to the general public and convincing them to spend their hard e...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Outsourcing - is it for my business?
- There are definitely advantages, but make sure you make an informed decision!
There are a lot of advantages to outsourcing, however, there are also some disadvantages. Since this is such a huge issue, and such a large decision for you to make regarding your company, you should make sure that you take a good look at both sides of the issue before you make your decision. Make sure you...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Myths about starting your own small business
- Before you jump into small business entrepreneurship, consider first the following myths which we will debunk.
1. Starting a Small Business is Easier Work
This isn't true. You'll probably work harder. A small business needs more work to survive. However, the potential to earn is more. The difference is, at work you would balk at overtime. With your small business, you...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Mystery shopping for fun and profit
- How would you like to get paid to go shopping? That's
right! Get paid to shop for clothes, eat in restaurants,
watch movies, play golf, travel, and so on.
You can have your cake and eat it too! Enjoy the best of
both worlds. Make money and have fun at the same time as
a mystery shopper.
What is a Mystery Shopper?
...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Marketing to women -- can i buy you a clue?
- Copyright 2005 Denise OBerry
A while back a small business owner paid me a visit. He wanted help marketing his fitness business to women. Before we even started talking, he handed me his business card. The card was very professional and said all the right things. But it also included a huge blunder.
He was pretty smart to target women as prospects for his business. Af...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - It's time to get all strategic - small business marketing stategy
- Copyright 2005 J D Moore
So what's your small business marketing strategy? I'm willing to bet that close to 85% of the people reading this are scratching their heads now. Many small business owners fail to create a marketing strategy at all, instead focusing on tactics.
Let me give you one of the definitions of strategy from the fine folks at Merriam Webster: a : a ca...
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- 2007-04-06 22:01:55 - Is incorporating your small business best for you?
- There comes a point in time when every small business person
contemplates on whether to incorporate their business or not. A
lot of times small businesses start out sole proprietorships,
and then become incorporated as the business expands and
develops. Small business incorporating can be a difficult
decision, and with this article you'll gain a little bit of...