Small Business Trends

It’s Cyber Monday — that famous online shopping day. And why shouldn’t it be a shopping day for small business people like us?

Well it is!

Here are a few hand-picked specials I recommend and hope you can take advantage of:

HP store — Our long-time sponsor here, Hewlett Packard, has some healthy Cyber Monday deals.  I personally purchase HP products (like my HP netbook which I reviewed here) because of the quality.   Here’s a link to small-business deals at the HP store. Read More

From Small Business Trends

Small Business Deals for Cyber Monday

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I’ve been using a neat online marketing/SEO tool called LotusJump. Today only, I get to offer it to Small Business Trends readers for $20/mo for life for the Pro version. That’s 60% off — and no long term contracts required.

That is a terrific price. I have been using LotusJump and am passing the discount along to you (but I don’t profit from any sign-ups). It’s a Cyber Monday deal, which is why I’m able to offer it. It ends atRead More

From Small Business Trends

Super Online Marketing Tool on Sale Today

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Up until now,  most of our weekend book reviews have been about traditional print books.  But ebooks play a key role in the information mix.

So today I am reviewing an ebook –  Startup Success: Boost Your Chances for Business Success With Web 2.0.

First of all, let’s get the definitions straight.  The kind of ebook I’m talking about is an electronic PDF file that you download to your computer.  You can read it on your computer — or you can printRead More

From Small Business Trends

Review of Startup Success

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Here is the latest list of contests, sweepstakes, and awards for growing companies. This listing is updated every two weeks and brought to you as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

Deluxe Business Makeover Sweepstakes

Enter by November 30, 2009

Deluxe will randomly award a $10,000 gift certificate from Target Commercial Interiors featuring HON furniture and a $5,000 DeluxeBucks gift certificate to use toward logo and Web site design, promotional products and additional marketing and branding solutions. Ten second-place winners willRead More

From Small Business Trends

Latest Small Business Awards and Contests

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“BAM: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World” is the new book by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead.

“BAM” stands for “bust a myth.”  The book debunks 20 myths about customer service:

BAM! debunks the twenty common myths of of customer service — from “The customer is always right” to “Customer service means the same thing to everyone” to “Companies achieve customer service by under-promising and over-delivering.” Customer service myths run the customer policies of many companies without anyone even questioningRead More

From Small Business Trends

Busting 20 Customer Service Myths: Review of BAM

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Do you know about the Small Business Administration’s Emerging 200 (e200) initiative? The program identifies 200 inner-city businesses across the country that show high-growth potential, and then gives them the resources and motivation they need to take their businesses to the next level.

The e200 initiative has been so successful that the SBA just announced plans to expand e200 in 2010. Twelve new communities, emphasizing those areas with Native American business owners, have been added to the 10 markets e200 currentlyRead More

From Small Business Trends

Boot Camp for Inner-City Small Business Owners

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There’s always that one guy in the office who has to correct you.

You know the one; you order the veggie salad and he chimes in with “you know, technically tomatoes are a fruit, so technically you’re having a veggie and fruit salad.”

Sigh…

Everyone enjoys being right, and I know I have my little things that I’m a stickler about (I’m looking at you, apostrophe in “it’s”).

But most of the time in business, being mostly correct is just fine with me.

* * *Read More

From Small Business Trends

Sales Are Off The Charts

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Thanks to social media, you can’t really ignore your competitors like you used to. I mean, you can, but it’s a lot more obvious that that’s what you’re doing. You’re both on Twitter. You’re both on Facebook. You’re both using the same tools and communicating in the same space to a very similar group of people.

So how do you handle competitors in this new world? You embrace them and build your business by promoting your competitors, opening the doors toRead More

From Small Business Trends

Build Your Business By Promoting Competitors

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You may have missed the news last week, but on November 18, the Small Business Administration and the Treasury Department held a forum to discuss ideas for increasing small business’s access to capital.

The event, hosted by Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and SBA chief Karen G. Mills, was first announced last month when President Obama introduced a new initiative to focus part of the federal government’s $700 billion financial bailout on helping small businesses gain access to capital. (Read more aboutRead More

From Small Business Trends

SBA and Treasury’s Small-Business Forum Discusses Access to Capital

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Earlier this month we told you about the Business.com study that looked at how business professionals were using social media. Well, a newly released 58-page companion report attempts to evaluate the same results from the perspective of business-to-business (B2B) company execs, professionals and agencies. The reports breaks down the most important social sites to B2B execs and agencies, how they determine social media success and the tools they’re using to bring it all together. There’s a lot of great information in theRead More

From Small Business Trends

Study: How Are B2Bs Using Social Media

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If your business is still against adopting social media practices, you may want to think that through a bit more.  According to a study conducted by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 91% of Inc. 500 companies use at least one form of social media.  That number has increased from [...]
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Today’s small businesses are adept at using online tools such as email newsletters and surveys to help develop strong relationships with their customers. While these tools can enable two-way communications, face-to-face interactions can be an effective way to build and instill trust in these relationships. It’s that sense of community and interaction that in-person events [...]
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Late last week, Small Business Trends announced the start of their 2nd annual small business book awards.  They have nominated 47 small business books for readers to pick their favorites from.  The top 10 books most voted for will be announced as the winners. The Small Business Book Awards, presented by Small Business Trends, recognize the [...]
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As we prepare for the height of the holiday season, one in which spending is predicted to be lukewarm at best, local businesses can get smart by planning and implementing thoughtful marketing campaigns that provide consumers relief where they need it most: their wallets. With Black Friday quickly approaching, time is of the essence to [...]
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Small Biz Bee has brought back its $100 Competition this year but it’s bigger and better.  This year’s contest is sponsored by BizSugar.com and the prize has been increased to $150!  Who couldn’t use a little extra cash before the holidays? How To Enter: All you need to do is submit an original article related to small [...]
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Startups.com has recently been launched to provide you with all the answers you need about small business.  Users can ask or answer questions concerning their small business.  I like this concept because you can find real advice from business owners who’ve had experiences like your own.  Plus, you can get answers to your questions quickly. How [...]
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This holiday season Campaigner is giving you the tools to boost your email marketing efforts.  Plus, all of the tools are free to use.  The free “Holiday In a Bag” tools range from holiday graphics, holiday email templates, holiday e-cards plus tips, checklists and spreadsheets. In addition to the free holiday marketing tools, you can also [...]
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Twitter Lists is the newest feature recently unveiled on Twitter.  This feature allows Twitter users the opportunity to organize followers into lists or groups with common interests.  If you find a list that interests you, you can follow the entire list of users with one simple click.  Also, when you discover a list you like [...]
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Are you looking for a way to generate more sales?  Consider the advice given by Janet Meiners Thaeler in her most recent OPEN Forum piece, “How to Avoid the ‘Bah Humbug’ Spirit From Consumers This Holiday Season“.  Janet suggests considering “cause related marketing”. There’s nothing like giving to get you in a holiday mood. Your customers [...]
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Many entrepreneurs have varied professional backgrounds and Dan McComb, Co-founder of Biznik, is one of them.  Dan started his professional career as a photo journalist where he covered the end of the war in Bosnia and the extreme right-wing militia movement here in the United States.  However, he soon realized that the work he was producing actually [...]
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In today’s modern world, many of us are “on-the-go.”  With the advent of  new technologies, it seems that it’s more possible now, than ever before, to be mobile and still remain in touch.  As a result, many small business owners, operators and employees are now afforded the ability to conduct business “on-the-go.”  The side effect to this [...]
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We’ve all suffered through employment for employers that we didn’t necessarily like – or enjoy working for.  If you are currently in that situation, or have been at some point in time, you’ve come to realize that everybody copes with that atmosphere in a different way.  Some are healthy ways to cope and some are not. Katherine Crowley [...]
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Have you ever noticed how detrimental “silent problems” can become?  Things unspoken - they tend to eat away at people, situations and even business.  One man has recognized how silent problems, problems that are being avoided, neglected and going unnoticed, are negatively impacting small businesses in very profound ways. Rod Johnson, Speaker, Executive Business Coach and Author of “Without Warning: Breakthrough Strategies for [...]
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Do you know where the term “Pirates of Silicone Valley” comes from?  Well, did you know that Bill Gates borrowed the idea for Windows from Steve Jobs?  And Steve Jobs borrowed the idea from Xerox and Xerox borrowed the idea from an obscure academic researcher?  Hence, the birth of the term ”Pirates of Silicone Valley.” David Kord Murray, [...]
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Visibility is important to your small business and affordable publicity is out there. There are many tools that can help you grow your business and expand its visibility today.  However, researching to discover those publicity tools can be a drain on your time - which may actually hinder your small business. Margie Zable Fisher, President of Zable Fisher [...]
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If you have a blog or website, chances are you’ve asked yourself, “Where do my visitors come from?  What are they doing when they get here and where are they going?” Have you ever wondered what improvements, if any, would be beneficial to your site, your sales and your visitors? You’re not alone and the good news [...]
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I think I can speak for everyone here and say – we’d all like to unlock hidden cash and profits. And Kenneth Kaufman is going to help us find it. Kenneth Kaufman, Founder & CEO of CFOwise, joins hosts Anita Campbell to share the insights he has gained from helping entrepreneurs and small business owners use [...]
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Mary Crogan, Senior Business Marketing Manager for online survey from Constant Contact, joins hosts Anita Campbell and Brent Leary to discuss how online surveys can actually act as a GPS system for your small business. They can help guide you and your small business along the most direct and efficient path to your goals. Surveys [...]
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Not only is social media useful to small businesses for marketing, but it’s also a handy tool to use to develop a more personal relationship with your customers and business contacts.  It allows you to obtain bits and pieces of personal knowledge about others and you can then use that knowledge to build upon an existing relationship with them.  [...]
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