Whether your business depends on the fall/winter holiday season for a substantial part of your annual revenues or you find it to be a slow time of year - remaining engaged and connected with your prospect and customer base is never more critical than now. And that means embracing the holiday season as part of your marketing strategy. Here are some marketing options to consider as part of your small business holiday toolkit. Read more...

The online social media revolution that has bought us Facebook and Twitter actually started back in the late 90’s when the term “blog”, short for “weblog”, entered the lexicon. Blogs provide business owners with unprecedented ways of reaching and engaging with large audiences in a way that the traditional one-way information push of a company Web site could never do. Of course, if you are thinking of starting a blog you need to have an underlying strategy in place to ensure it is a success. Here are four things to consider before you enter the blogosphere. Read more...

Whether you are on a trade show floor, making a sales pitch, or seeking investment, perfecting your elevator pitch can be one of the most important things your business can do. From the moment you start-up, having a well rehearsed and compelling elevator pitch can help buyers, clients and potential investors get to know you quickly. To help prepare your elevator pitch (whether to secure investment for your business or to communicate your sales proposition) you need to take a three-step approach and address these key elements of your business. Read more...

"I need help starting my business!" - is a common cry from many budding small business owners. And it's no wonder. Starting a business is a huge step for any entrepreneur to undertake, and requires careful planning as well as business smarts and the right advice. In addition to the wealth of online resources that can help entrepreneurs with start-up planning, preparation and management you should also consider seeking out specialist advice and help for three key business functions - tax and accounting, marketing, and business administration. Here are some pointers to help you source the right kind of help. Read more...

No doubt about it, the current economic recession has hurt small businesses as well as the people they employ. Yet small business survival stories are appearing in the media and bringing with them hope and optimism. From customer service to marketing; from creative uses of technology to tighter financial controls - small businesses are fighting back with a toolbox of resources that challenges conventional business models, introduces greater efficiencies, and opens doors to new opportunities. Here are just some insights and tips on how small business is doing it: Read more...

Starting and growing a business presents many strategic planning challenges, not least of which is knowing how much to spend on marketing. Determining your marketing budget has a lot more to do with what you are trying to achieve as a small business than what your revenue numbers tell you. This means having a plan. Here are some tips for developing a marketing budget that works for your small business. Read more...

Starting your own business may be one of the biggest risks you will take in your life - and the statistics confirm it. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), two-thirds of new businesses survive for a minimum of two years, with only 44 percent surviving at least four years. But given the right preparedness, planning, and financing, many entrepreneurs do take the plunge and succeed. Here are some tips for making these three factors work for you as you consider starting your own business: Read more...

Changing the direction of your business - including altering your product or service offering, selling to a new market, or opting for new distribution channels - is no mean feat and requires significant planning and organizational buy in. If you have reached the point where diversification has not worked, or your business model simply isn't working for you anymore, how do you start going about a change of business direction? Here are some steps to consider as you redirect your business acumen and investments into a new venture. Read more...

"Main Street" has now become a generic term synonymous with U.S. small business in general. But for many entrepreneurs, the prospect of joining Main Street in its more literal meaning - i.e. the primary retail street of a village or town - still holds an enormous amount of appeal as a business venture. But how do you go about starting a retail business? Here are some steps that you will need to follow (from a business planning, structure, and legal perspective) to open and operate a successful retail operation. Read more...

If your passion is to inspire, make a difference and give back to the world, then starting a non-profit is an exciting entrepreneurial proposition. But before you start there are a few things to consider. Starting a non-profit organization (NPO) is similar to starting any kind of business - together with commitment you need a clear objective, a niche (i.e. an original, unclaimed idea) and a communicable business plan to present to your donors. You’ll also need to understand how to structure your non-profit, what tax exemptions you may qualify for, as well as how you can obtain government grants. Here is a basic checklist for how to start a non-profit organization. Read more...

Whatever your product or service, and whatever the market – whether it be federal, state or local government – winning a share of government business can be a complex and time-consuming process. And no matter how lucrative government contracting can be, for many small business owners the prospect of contracting directly (called “prime contracting”) with a government agency is simply not within their capacity or scope. This is where government subcontracting comes into play. Here are some tips to help you understand the process of government subcontracting and where to find the opportunities. Read more...

Re-locating a business to a new state is no easy feat. In some ways, can generate almost as much stress as starting out did in the first place - there is a location to be selected, a new local market to understand, business plans to be written, and regulatory mazes to be navigated, not to mention the actual business of moving. Here is a small business checklist that should shed some light on the regulatory side of relocating your business to a new state. From corporate structure issues to tax ramifications to business registration and licensing, these tips should keep your business compliant as you venture into new pastures. Read more...

There is no doubt about it – women are a rising force in American entrepreneurship. However, starting and growing a business, woman-owned or not, brings its own unique challenges. The good news for women business owners is that there are a host of free resources available to help them overcome many of these challenges and succeed in business. Whether you are a home-based freelancer, a fledgling microbusiness, or an established business force, here are five essential government and non-profit resources that are all about supporting the empowerment and growth of women in business: Read more...

Take a walk down any supermarket aisle and you’ll notice that more and more organic food products have found their rightful place alongside “conventionally” produced foods – testament to the fact that organic food production is now the fastest growing and most profitable segment of American agriculture. Of course, by its very nature, organic food production is a heavily regulated industry. Whether you are new to organic farm production or wish to scale your existing operation, below is a primer of some of the key federally mandated standards for the production, handling and retailing of certified organic food products. Read more...

Whether you've reached the end of the road as a business owner and are looking to move on, or have reached the point where you can "cash-out" and reap significant rewards from a business sale, the process of selling a business can be almost as tricky to navigate as starting your dream business was in the first place. Here are some tips and resources to help you understand some of the key aspects of getting your business ready for sale. Read more...

Home-based businesses have grown to represent 52% of all small businesses and 10 percent of the total receipts of the economy (approximately $314 billion), according to the SBA. The good news is that the amount of resources available to help home-based business owners get started and scale their operations and profits is growing at almost the same pace as the at-home businesses themselves. The U.S. government is at the forefront of much of this growth and here are some of the best resources, offered by the government, that help home-based business owners learn more about working out of their homes and managing their business within the law. Read more...

As the nation prepares for a potentially broader outbreak of the H1N1 flu this fall and winter, this week the Small Business Administration, Centers for Disease Control, and Department of Homeland Security published its "Planning for 2009 H1N1 Influenza Season Preparedness Guide for Small Business". The guide is intended to help U.S. small business owners understand what impact the 2009/2010 H1N1 flu might have on their operations and to stress the importance of developing and communicating a plan for preparedness and response to its employees. Here are seven H1N1 preparedness steps that the government recommends you review and apply as appropriate to your place of business. Read more...

All too often, one of the most overlooked areas of doing business with the government is knowing how to successfully market to the government. Put quite simply – marketing to the government is different. When the government buys, it buys differently than the commercial sector; the language it speaks is different; its motivations for buying are different. To achieve success as you venture into business with the government, the savvy government marketer must adjust conventional marketing strategies and outreach tactics to meet the conventions of this very lucrative marketplace. Here are some basic tips to get you started in understanding how to market to the government. Read more...

This year is an interesting year for federal government contracting. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has resulted in a 13 percent rise in federal contract spending in 2009, and much of this will continue through the “busy season” when federal fiscal budgets close on September 30. However, this year, the new 2010 federal fiscal year (starting October 1) is not likely to see the typical spending slowdown, so if you are invested or looking to invest in doing business with the federal government then it’s time to hunker down and align, or continue to align, sales and marketing resources where the money is being spent. The good news is that the government is actually one of the biggest advocates for helping small businesses navigate the government contracting maze and find opportunities. Here are four essential steps that you should follow on your path to doing business with the federal government. Read more...

Although the 2009 hurricane season has been relatively quiet, small businesses and home-owners alike have faced their fair share of disasters this year. For small business owners the consequences of such natural disasters or emergencies can be devastating. According to post-disaster estimates, over 40% of all companies that experience a disaster never reopen, and over 25% of the remaining companies close within two years. To coincide with Disaster Preparedness Month, here are some steps you can take to help you prepare for a disaster as well as an explanation of the financial lifelines available to you and your business should the worst happen. Read more...

Traffic congestion doesn't only impact the environment, it creates disgruntled and un-productive employees - something very few small businesses operating within narrow-profit margins can sustain. Many businesses have responded with teleworking programs that take employees off the road on a full-time or part-time basis. The truth is that teleworking is just one facet of a small business owner's toolkit for providing employees with a green commuting option that reduces stress, improves productivity and protects the environment. Here is a breakdown of how you can help your employees take advantage of green commuting options, including teleworking, and how you both can reap the benefits of green commuting tax incentives. Read more...

Your business name is its identity. With the huge growth in the availability of diverse marketing tools with which to promote your business, choosing the right business name, and ensuring it is registered and protected, is more important than ever. My last post covered the basics of choosing a business name that works for your small business venture in a Web savvy world. Following directly from that post, here are some tips to help you protect your business name against trademark infringement and register it with the right regulatory bodies for the purposes of taxation, incorporation, licenses, and permits. Read more...

Only a few years ago, choosing a business name meant picking an identity for your start-up that would feature in a fairly narrow range of outlets - your signage, invoice, business card and basic advertising. Today, however, with the huge growth in the availability of diverse marketing tools with which to promote your business - from Web sites to social media networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more - getting your business name right, first time, is more important than ever. With all these considerations in mind, here are some quick tips for choosing a business name that works for your small business venture in a Web savvy world- and, in Part 2 I'll explain how you can make sure your business name is legal and protected. Read more...

Doing business with one of the largest purchasers of goods and services in the world – the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) – can seem like a daunting business strategy for many small business owners. Many often mistakenly believe that only the “big guns” can really compete for DoD business. The truth is that the government designates a significant amount of procurement contracts to small businesses each year. Here are some resources from the government and small business expert communities that can help you get started in securing your share of what can be a very profitable line of business. Read more...

Owning and operating a vehicle is expensive at the best of times. If you are a small business owner looking to save some money, using your personal vehicle for business purposes may be an instant cost saving. Whether you are an independent contractor using your car to get to client meetings or you use your vehicle for deliveries, you will need to understand the regulatory ramifications (and benefits) of using your personal vehicle for business purposes. Below is an overview of some of the key considerations that you will need to bear in mind as you drive around doing business in your personal car, truck or van. Read more...

"When does a Business Start Paying Taxes?" may sound like a silly question, with an expected answer of: "When you start making a profit, of course." Not necessarily. There are many dependencies that determine when a new small business owner is liable for their first tax payment. For example, the moment you hire your first employee you must deposit payroll taxes. If you are in the consumer retail business, you must deal with sales tax. Then there are federal and state income taxes, which you must pay once a quarter, and so on. Quite the minefield! Here are some tips and resources that can help you navigate you through your tax obligations as a new business owner. Read more...

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s stopfakes.gov Web site, companies that protect their intellectual property drive more economic growth in the U.S. than any other single sector. If you’ve developed a new product, technology or tool that is entirely your own invention, how do you go about making sure your unique idea stays your unique idea, and most importantly reaps you a profit? Here is a brief explanation of the intellectual property options available to you, how you can pursue them, as well as some basic tips to get you started in business. Read more...

Buying a restaurant franchise is a great alternative for entrepreneurs who may be reticent about starting or investing in their own independent restaurant business - especially during a recession. In addition to the training, marketing support, and brand prestige a successful restaurant franchise operation can offer budding entrepreneurs, franchising is also one form of business entrepreneurialism that offers would-be business owners a vast amount of upfront pre-investment advice and guidance from a host of independent experts. So here is an A-Z checklist about how to start a restaurant franchise and make it a success. Read more...

From the housing market to Main Street, cash flow strapped individuals and business owners struggling to stay on top of borrowed credit have increasingly found that traditional refinancing options are harder and harder to come by. But when the imperative of business survival overtakes any focus on potential business growth, what options are available to small business owners? Here is a "non-political" summary of all the recently launched government-backed initiatives that can help small business owners address the challenges of mounting debt and financial hardship. Read more...

Most of us tend to regard occupational safety and health programs as belonging to the realm of human resources or personnel management. And while you have experienced a corporate fire drill or received basic first aid training, it's doubtful that you've ever given much thought to what efforts your employer was required to take, by law, to ensure that you and your colleagues were protected from workplace hazards. Here are some useful resources to help small business owners understand what laws apply to them, how they can implement an occupational health and safety plan, train employees, and stay compliant. Read more...