Why Even Great Marketing Ideas Fail

Small business owners are always devising “killer” marketing or ad campaigns that – in theory at least – will send business soaring. Whether created in-house or with outside help, it can be a great concept, with sparkling design and a compelling message and yet still bomb big time. What’s up with that? In most cases [...]

8 Keys to Re-energizing Your Business

It’s a tough world out there. Customers are demanding more. Competition is keen – sometimes from unexpected places. Your business must work harder and smarter to improve profits. And on top of it all, there always seem to be new taxes and regulations to deal with. Sometimes however (not that this includes you, of course), [...]

5 Ways Mistakes Can Make a Business Better

With little cash, and even less wine industry experience, Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey launched Barefoot Wine in – where else – their laundry room. They built the brand and later sold it to wine giant E&J Gallo. Now the business owner duo share what they learned along the way with other business owners. One [...]

Which Social Media Work Best for Business

Small business owners are continuing to try social media as a marketing channel. But with so many options – and limited time and resources to use them – which ones are working best? As with so many other things in business, the answer is: “It depends.” One thing is clear: Small businesses are moving headlong [...]

The 8 Best Online Businesses to Start Now

Looking to start a business? If you want something with big potential that doesn’t take much startup capital, consider an online service of some type. A major shift toward purchasing both consumer and business-to-business services online has created a slew of opportunities for would-be entrepreneurs. For one thing, Internet usage continues to soar. Going online [...]

Obamacare Small Business Quick Start Guide

Whether you’re angry, happy or just plain confused about how “Obamacare” (a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) will impact your business, my best advice is this: Get over it! Official start date is January 1, 2014, but some provisions are already in place (such as healthcare tax credits for small biz) with more coming [...]

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  • Business Owner Optimism Edging Up

    Business Owner Optimism Edging Up

    The latest Small Business Optimism Index (January 2013), published monthly by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), shows that business owners are getting slightly more optimistic about the year ahead — but just barely. Results are drawn from a sample of about 4,000 small business owners surveyed in December. Here’s a snapshot of what’s happening [...]

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