Archive for 2013
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 [...]
5 Low Risk Ways to Fund Future Business Growth
Here at BizBest, a common concern I often see from business owners and start-up entrepreneurs is where the money will come from to fund future growth. For some, that might require outside investors, which in turn can mean giving up partial ownership or control. But most businesses can grow successfully by using one or a [...]
How to Hire Teens While Staying Sane and Legal
Soon, teenagers by the millions will be seeking summer jobs – the vast majority at small businesses coast to coast. An estimated 18 million U.S. teens will work this year, one of the highest totals in the developed world. Speaking as a parent of teens, this is a good thing. But in its song Teenagers, the [...]
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 [...]
6 Lessons on Becoming a High Impact Business
Uncle Sam wanted to know: What kinds of companies are America’s true growth generators? Is it corporate giants like Apple, Amazon or GE? Is it startups? Is it relative newbies such as Facebook. After some exhaustive research, the answer was clear: “None of the above.” As it turns out, the real economic spark plugs in [...]
