To succeed in business, you need to be constantly on the lookout for opportunities that can help advance your business and improve your bottom line. Unfortunately, one of the common mistakes of small business entrepreneurs is the failure to recognize opportunities that their customers demand, or those that can help expand their target market. Many […]
Archives for November 2009
Price Discount Considerations
As small business owners, managers, and marketers one of the issues we must confront each holiday season is whether or not to give price discounts as part of your planned marketing programs. The uncertainty can seem enormous. How much should the discount be? When should you run it? In what situations should it apply? Will […]
How to Run Your Home Business Lean – and Profitable
To survive in today’s marketplace, it is important to run our home business operations lean. Learn how to run your home business lean — and profitable.
Startups and Surety Bonds: Does Your Small Business Have to be Bonded?
One of the common questions of many small business owners — especially those running a service-oriented business such as plumbing, cleaning, landscaping — is whether they need to be bonded. Is insurance enough? Why do they need to get bonded? I’ve invited Kevin Kaiser, a small business compliance expert at nationwide bonding agency SuretyBonds.com to shed light on what is a surety bond, and why your small business needs to be bonded.
15 Basic Steps to Starting an Online Store
Many people wants to start their own online stores, whether clothing, gift basket or toy stores. Here are 15 basic steps to creating your online storefront
Greening Your Small and Home-Based Business
One of the women entrepreneurs I recently interviewed on WomenHomeBusiness.com is Jen Husted, owner and founder of JIH Designs. What sets her business apart is that JIH Designs positions itself as an “eco-conscious graphic design studio.” Why is going green becoming important? According to the GreenBiz State of Green Business 2009 , the annual buying […]
Sourcing and Manufacturing Your Products Abroad: How to Use Alibaba.com
As a small business owner, an important element to creating and sustaining a successful business is a constant and reliable source of quality products. The key question of course is where to find these suppliers and manufacturers. If you are open to finding manufacturers and suppliers from other countries, particularly China, check out Alibaba.com . […]
Get Listed on Google Maps and Increase Exposure of Your Small Business
Yellow Pages are so 1990s. Nowadays, if you are running a small business dependent on customers finding and coming to your physical store or office, then you need to get listed on Google Maps. Type in Google search terms that include business types and specific locations such as “landscaping Annapolis MD” or “hair salon in Chicago” and […]
Pitching the Media Correctly to Market Your Home Business
We understand the power of the media. Being mentioned on TV, newspaper or radio can significantly boost our reach and brand, even our sales. The key question, however, is: How do we do it? Here are tips on how to pitch your press release or news item from public relations professional Kristin Marquet, President of Marquet Communications.
Grandparents: How to Reach this Market for Your Business
Grandparents are a huge market to tap, whether you are directly targeting them for your seniors travel business or indirectly for your children’s toys business. Estimates from different surveys show that there are anywhere from 30 to over 70 million of grandparents in the United States alone, and a sizeable portion of these grandparents take […]