by Christina Lee on March 24th, 2009
Though just launched last week, the Business.gov Community forums already look to be a promising effort to demystify government regulations concerning small business owners.
After registering, small business owners can post threads in a number of topic categories, ranging from business regulations to government contracting. Members have already asked about the legalities of affiliate marketing and whether one can make a business out of a hobby.
This being the first government-sponsored online community discussing small businesses, the moderators are consultants from the Business Gateway, a group of 22 federal agencies which include the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Community is... Read more »
by Christina Lee on December 29th, 2008
Three years ago, Marc Joseph – president of wholesaler and closeout company Dollar Days – responded to hundreds of his customers’ calls with one book. With “The Secrets of Retailing: Or, How to Beat Wal-Mart,” he wanted to teach any small business owner how to establish a unique presence in their neighborhood, even with a Wal-Mart down the street.
But in 2008, Wal-Mart emerged as the sole big-name retail winner against a number of contenders. While its competitors slashed prices out of necessity, Wal-Mart discounted to make profits. The company’s net sales totaled $374.5 billion, an 8.6 percent increase from... Read more »
by Danny Brown on February 26th, 2008
Ask any search engine expert the best ways to build traffic to your website, and thus increase the potential for sales, and the first answer will normally be strong SEO, or search engine optimization. Fresh and unique content is another way. However, one of the most overlooked areas of bringing traffic to your website is via reciprocal links – where other websites link directly to yours, and you link to theirs in exchange.
When Google and other search engines index your site for inclusion in their search results, one of the key factors in deciding whether you should have a... Read more »
by Rebecca Button on January 29th, 2008
Okay…maybe that’s an exaggeration. But it’s certainly one of the best I’ve come across. It’s called SCORE "Counselors to America’s Small Business." Their About page describes them as follows:
"SCORE "Counselors to America’s Small Business" is America’s premier source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs."
Sounds pretty good to me! And from navigating a bit through the site myself, there are many great links to advice, articles, suggestions and answers to pretty much anything you can think of if you are just starting out.
Oh yeah, and did I mention, it’s FREE ?!
Here’s the link: SCORE... Read more »
by Danny Brown on January 7th, 2008
If you’re starting a small business of your own, or are looking to cut back on costs in an existing one, one of the best ways to do this is with a virtual office. Not only is this practical and cost-effective, but it allows you greater flexibility to your working day. And if you want to take it the next step, you can even run a virtual company! So what exactly is a virtual office, and how can it benefit both you and your business?
Virtual Office, Real Results
Probably the biggest benefit of a virtual office is that it... Read more »