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If the Presidential election was held today, who would you vote for?

One of the annoying things about being a citizen of the United States is also one of the things that makes being an American so great: our political process.

But with regard to the annoying bits, perhaps the most irritating is what seems like very little relief from presidential campaigning. It’s as if the occupant of the White House is always campaigning, while the opposition party starts its run against the president at least two years before the election.

It seems to take the first year of the opposition party’s effort to unseat the president just to eliminate the also-rans – who never were serious candidates – during which time the serious players hone their campaigning skills. By the year of the election, there are usually a small handful that duke it out during the primary phase until finally, one is victorious and gets the nomination.

So here we are in that opposition party phase and in most polls, former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, is currently seen as the Republican front-runner. Sin

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Commercial real estate leasing: Part I

This is the first of a two-part series on leasing commercial real estate for your small business.

In most markets, one of the sectors that a small business can get a good deal on these days is commercial office and retail space. Whether you need more room or a better location, now is probably a good time to think about finding and negotiating for those new business digs.

But just in case you’re a little rusty on where to start the process, let’s focus on the initial steps of commercial real estate leasing fundamentals that will help you find and compare leased space that works for you.

1.  Don’t stop looking until you find at least two or three places that work. The extra shoe leather will pay negotiating dividends later.

2.  Don’t sign any lease until you know the entire expense picture, including maintenance, which we’ll cover next time

3.  Avoid emotional attachment until after you’ve negotiated lease terms you can live with. At this point,

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Should your business change its DNA?

In nature, all life comes in two forms – plant and animal.

In the marketplace, all business entities are found in two forms – human and non-human. But unlike plants and animals, a human business can morph into a non-human entity.

The human businesses are sole proprietorships and partnerships. Of the non-human entities, there are three: C Corporation, S Corporation and the Limited Liability Company (LLC).

So why should your human business morph from human to non-human? There are three excellent reasons:

  1. To acquire certain tax advantages. Talk with your accountant about this.
  2. The “corporate veil” provided by a corporation or LLC can shield personal assets from legal obligations or claims on the business. Tal

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Reinvention or extinction – the choice is yours

If you’ve spent at least a few years as a small business owner, it’s a safe bet that you’ve discovered that you must keep reinventing your business.

All of this reinvention can never stop because every day the 21st century marketplace becomes less like a destination and more like a moving train. Indeed, the Hobson’s choice for a small business is reinvention or extinction.

Let’s talk about reinventing your business, yourself and the fact that there should also be a balance between the two.

In his book, Creative Approaches for the Cost Effective Organization, Steven Martin says there are five generations of business growth:

1. Work – the entrepreneurial stage.

2. Sell – focus on sales growth and market share.

3. Cut – focus on efficiencies to drive the bottom line.

4. Buy – quire assets to reach the next level.

5. Think – all actio

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The customer is now in control – get over it!

As previously revealed in this space, the Age of the Seller is succumbing to the Age of the Customer. In the new Age, control of the relationship between Seller and Customer has shifted to the latter.

This paradigm shift is largely caused by online platforms that are: 1) increasing the access customers have to information about a Seller and its products; 2) allowing customers to express and share what they have learned about and experienced with a business.

To put two fine points on the first element of the shift, in the new Age: Customers have access to virtually all the information they need before you know they’re interested, and prospects are similarly informed before you even know they exist. Such access to information is changing – or disrupting – the way you market to and connect with customers, as well as how you train sales people. P

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A father’s tough love is the harder job

As the father of an adult daughter and son, plus the grandfather of four knucklehead boys, I’ve learned some things about love.

All the hours logged as Dad and Poppy have often caused me to contemplate how different are the roles of mother and father, especially in the overt demonstration of parental love. It’s fascinating how the manifestation of this love differs between mother and father – biologically, emotionally and experientially.

A mother’s love, at once sweet and fierce, is observed in almost all animals, not just humans. No doubt you’ve heard this metaphor: “… as sweet as a mother’s love,” and this warning: “Don’t get between a momma bear and her cub.”

I have been the recipient of this kind of love and have witnessed it, and there truly is no other force in nature like it. But it has troubled me that there are no corresponding references for a father’s love. Could this be why Fathe

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Take our poll on government regulations

As America celebrates its independence this week, how concerned are you that your business’ independence is being eroded by government laws and regulations?

Click on the question and give us your opinion — it will just take a few seconds and you’ll immediately see the current results of the poll.

Have more you’d like to say? Leave us a comment.

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How are moms finding your business?

How are moms finding your small business? Stacy DeBroff joins Jim Blasingame to talk about why more moms are looking for your business in the online communities they hang out in, not necessarily your website.

Stacy DeBroff is founder and CEO of Mom Central Consulting.

Listen to or download the interview here

Small Business Advocate Homepage

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