Small Business Articles

Business » Small Business | By Jeffrey Benson @ Friday, 23rd May 2008 @ 10:34 AM

Listen up because this is very, very important. What we have found over the years is that very few people give any great thought to the types of lead generation tools they should be using. They adopt the same marketing tools as all their competitors are using. This can only mean two things: 1) In most cases you are not using the best lead generation tools to attract YOUR target market or niche. 2) Your lead generation campaigns are wasteful even if they are still profit... more...

Business » Small Business | By Uchenna Ani-Okoye @ Friday, 23rd May 2008 @ 4:34 AM

Here are some guidelines that will definitely improve your gross sales, and quite naturally, your gross income. I like to call them the Strategic Salesmanship Commandments. Look them over; give some thought to each of them; and adapt hose that you can to your own selling efforts. 1. If the product you're selling is something your prospect can hold in his hands, get it into his hands as quickly as possible. In other words, get the prospect "into the act." Let him feel it,... more...

Business » Small Business | By Uchenna Ani-Okoye @ Thursday, 22nd May 2008 @ 4:59 PM

Franchise businesses such as Wendy's, McDonald's and Jack-In-The-Box are booming. The people setting up franchise ideas and businesses know a good thing, and are really promoting this idea. Franchises for just about every conceivable kind of business are being sold in ever increasing numbers. Some franchises are very good. They treat both the franchisor and the franchisee very well. Others are very one-sided. Still others are almost total rip-offs that trap one into paying ... more...

Business » Small Business | By Uchenna Ani-Okoye @ Thursday, 22nd May 2008 @ 10:33 AM

You may be in Mail Order, Direct Mail, or you may be a local merchant with 150 employees; whichever, however or whatever - you've got to know how to keep your business alive during economic recessions. Anytime the cash flow in a business, large or small, starts to tighten up, the money management of that business has to be run as a "tight ship." Some of the things you can and should do include protecting yourself from expenditures made on sudden impulse. We've all bough... more...

Business » Small Business | By Uchenna Ani-Okoye @ Thursday, 22nd May 2008 @ 7:47 AM

Facts on file are a world news digest that's found at most public libraries. This is a weekly publication that's broken down into four categories: World Affairs, U.S. Affairs, Other Nations, and Miscellaneous. Editorials on file are a similar service that comes out twice each month. It is a survey of newspaper editorials that span a wide range of subjects. If you want to know about business trends, you should ask for and look at the Moody's Reports. These cover ba... more...

Business » Small Business | By Uchenna Ani-Okoye @ Thursday, 22nd May 2008 @ 7:08 AM

When you're doing research or looking for information on a particular subject, it's a lot like a detective checking all his possible clues. The important thing is to know who or where your sources are. In almost all instances, your first move should be to your encyclopaedia. If you don't have an up-to-date set, there's always your public library. Most of the time, an encyclopaedia will give you at least the general facts about your subject. You may have to ch... more...

Business » Small Business | By Uchenna Ani-Okoye @ Thursday, 22nd May 2008 @ 2:35 AM

Particularly when sales are down, you must be "hard-nosed" with people trying to sell you luxuries for your business. When business is booming, you undoubtedly will allow sales people to show you new models of equipment or a new line of supplies; but when your business is down, skip the entertaining frills and concentrate on the basics. Great care must be taken however, to maintain courtesy and allow these sellers to consider you a friend and call back at another time. Your comp... more...

Business » Small Business | By Amit Kheterpal @ Wednesday, 21st May 2008 @ 1:52 PM

Some part of society by way of their history or their social strata has a disadvantage. It takes a lot of political will and economic influences to these parts of the society to be at par with others. These minority groups usually get help through their elected leaders which in the senate try to influence key political and economic initiatives. Grant is direct financial contribution given to you business by the federal, state or local bodies. This contribution is free of any repayments an... more...

Business » Small Business | By Thomas Pretty @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 7:14 PM

The days of the accountant spending a month at the end of the year combing through the ledgers are most certainly over. Today even the smallest business has some form of accounting software to make life easier and to create efficiency for the finances of a company. The market is currently stacked with accounting software packages, the choice can seem limitless and as the software usually costs a fair amount of money, it is quite an expense. The question for the small business owner is how... more...

Business » Small Business | By Mark Satterfield @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:56 PM

You've probably heard the story that it took Thomas Edison 1,000 tires before he invented the light bulb. But did you know that, 12 publishers rejected J.K Rowling's first Harry Potter book before an obscure publishing house finally picked it up? That Decca Records turned down the Beatles? That Walt Disney was fired by a boss who said that he "lacked imagination"? That Michael Jordan was cut from his high-school varsity basketball team in his sophomore year? That Dr. Seu... more...

Business » Small Business | By Charlotte Buelow @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 8:12 PM

Americans' increasing concerns about the economy haven't hurt the leisure travel industry but business travel is taking a hit, according to the 2008 Travel Industry Association annual report, "Travel and Tourism Works for America." U.S. travelers spent a record amount--$739.9 billion--last year. But it was leisure travel that kept the industry in the red. Business travel declined by about 1.7 percent in 2007, following a 0.3 percent decline in 2006. Business trave... more...

Business » Small Business | By Thomas Pretty @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 4:27 PM

The appeal of starting your own business is certainly strong. Becoming your own boss, controlling your own hours and having staff working to earn you money are of course ideal. This is however a wholly unrealistic view of starting your own business, in reality it takes a long time to achieve success, a lot of effort in planning, such as banking and accounting solutions and in general a great deal of work. A small business is certainly not an easy ride to profit and a simple life. The wor... more...

Business » Small Business | By Gregory Cancryn @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 5:29 AM

With years of experience behind you, your business should be running like a well-oiled machine, right? Actually, that's not always the case. As a business continues to grow, we sometimes get so tied up in the day-to-day activities that we forget to step back and conduct a high-level review of how our business receives the money we work so hard to bring in. You should be reviewing your merchant account program and credit card processing to assess where changes and improvements can be... more...

Business » Small Business | By Raymond Lawrence @ Sunday, 18th May 2008 @ 6:10 PM

There are many reasons that someone initially decides that it's time to begin a small business or purchase a franchise. It can be very financially freeing to have additional income on the side, for some the desire to work at home and escape a commute or a cubicle is the driving force behind the decision to begin something new. Whether it's a way to invest funds into a safe and profitable sector, or simply a passion for a service or product that the new business opportunity will... more...

Business » Small Business | By Kyle Newton @ Thursday, 15th May 2008 @ 10:33 PM

Grid-wall panels and accessories have become the most popular and versatile way to utilize both wall-mounted applications and freestanding floor displays. These panels are a durable, medium weight system in a variety of panel sizes, constructed of 1/4' thick wire made up of 3" squares, which accept various display accessories for hanging, shelving, and merchandising products. For using it as a wall system, attach wall-mount brackets to the wall studs, and hang grid-wall panels on the br... more...

Business » Small Business | By Kyle Newton @ Thursday, 15th May 2008 @ 10:15 PM

The utmost important, yet underused elements of visual merchandising, is the proper use of lighting to highlight merchandise and displays. The track lighting enhances color, and vivid color sells merchandise. It can actually help enhance sales. The Ambient lighting is the general lighting of a retail store, in many cases fluorescent lighting. It can be used for perimeter lighting - illuminating wall displays. The track lighting can also be used as accent lighting - highlighting specific ... more...

Business » Small Business | By Donna Price @ Monday, 12th May 2008 @ 4:07 PM

Putting the pieces of the Marketing Puzzle together is one of the biggest challenges many business owners face. Putting it all together is as simple as 1, 2, 3. If you're like many business owners, the marketing hat is one of several hats that you wear, and for many, it's not their favorite hat. To be successful at marketing you need to develop a passion for it, just as you have for the rest of your business. Once you figure out how to love marketing it will become easier and... more...

Business » Small Business | By Koz Huseyin @ Friday, 9th May 2008 @ 4:18 AM

We see personal development life coaches at seminars, authors in books and tape programs often talk about goal setting, but it can be hard to figure out how to apply that to your small business. In this article, we will look on where you can apply goal setting for small business. In this article, you will discover: * A Look At Goal Setting For Small Business And Personal Development Goal Setting * The Processes - The Key To Goal Setting For Small Business * How To Increase Your B... more...

Business » Small Business | By Charlotte Buelow @ Sunday, 27th April 2008 @ 7:36 PM

Increasing online visibility for your company can create lasting customers and boost sales. Below, a list of tried and true ways to get started. 1. Create a website. Creating a website is the first step towards increasing your company's online visibility. It may be best to outsource the development of the site unless you have someone particularly web-savvy in-house. Make sure it contains necessary items like contact information, company details, company history, and whatever it... more...

Business » Small Business | By Kyle Newton @ Saturday, 26th April 2008 @ 9:33 PM

Before buying store fixtures and display merchandise for a retail store, there are initially a number of things to consider when deciding how to make the best choice? Starting ahead a new retail store, some considerations would be: Product niche - must sell a product that is in demand, which customers are looking to buy. Must know four customers - know your customers, and offer excellent service to build customer loyalty. Be loyal to the competition - which is your competitors, and what ... more...