Small businesses who have employees on military leave should be aware of a new federal signed by President Bush on December 10, 2004. The law amends the existing Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and significantly increases workplace protections for employees on military leave and places new burdens on employers. The new revisions […]
Archives for January 2005
10 Ways Small Businesses Can Compete With the Big Boys
When mass marketers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot move into town, many small businesses become fearful for their very survival, particularly if these businesses become direct competition. Yet despite the emergence of these multi-million dollar businesses, many small firms continue to thrive and profit in the highly competitive marketplace. You may not be able to […]
Spam Email Lists Traded on Ebay
Ebay has become an important marketplace of anything and everything — from the weird (buy ad space on my forehead!) to the unexplained (image of the Virgin Mary on a half eaten sandwich) to the charitable endeavors (beat “Frank” the cancer sticker). Well, with all the available items on eBay, can the spammers be far […]
Search Engines and the Internet Users
A new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project entitled “Search Engine Users” has a number of interesting findings: 1. Majority of search engine users (62%) are not aware of the distinction between paid ads and natural search engine results. It is not really surprising that many people do not understand that the […]
Tax Change 2005: Writing Off Small Business Equipment Fast
One of the tax changes made for 2005 is the demise of the bonus depreciation option. Instead, as a small business owner, you can increase your depreciation rate by as much as 50% of cost on top of the depreciation you could otherwise take in the first year of use. This rule covers new properties […]
10 Trends in Small Business Retailing
Small businesses dominate the retail business. While big companies such as Wal-Mart, Nordstrom’s, Best Buy, Bloomingdale’s, and others fill the business headlines; about ninety-five percent of retailers in the United States only have one-store outlets. The face of retailing is changing, and no one is more affected by these changes than the small independent retailers. […]
10 Ways to Guarantee Your Online Success
What are the ways to succeed online? Below is a list of some of ways you can ensure the success of your online business. Use and apply them to your own online businesses
Email Trends: Blast Emails to Disappear
Email has changed the way marketing is done. It has given businesses a very efficient, fast and low cost marketing channel, allowing users to be more accessible. This year, however, the trend is for blast emails to go down the drain, according to Chris Baggot of the Indianapolis-based developer of e-mail marketing solutions ExactTarget. In […]
Powerful Networking: Focus on Building Connections, Not Closing Sales
Networking is an effective way of prospecting customers and seeking out people who can help your business grow. It should be an integral part of every small and home-based owner’s marketing plans.
Contextual Advertising Providing Revenue Boost to Small Internet Entrepreneurs
For many small and home-based entrepreneurs, advertising is an important component of their business models. This is particularly true for content, editorial and information-type websites. In the late 90s when phenomenon of dot-coms were at their peak, banner advertising was all the rage. Many small website owners saw tremendous earning windfalls simply by putting up […]