Small Business Trends

Fall Business Forecast

By Mark Anderson - July 3, 2009
Fall Business Forecast

In additional to cartooning, I’m also a stay-at-home dad to my two young children. This means I read a lot of children’s books. In fact, I read so many that I can rattle off rather lengthy impromptu Seuss-like verse on almost any subject. (Fun at parties!)

Mother Goose is especially great for cartoon inspiration because it’s something that everyone gets right away. You just have to say “Hey diddle diddle,” and not ...

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Recent Articles

The Straight Skinny on When to Offer Early Payment Discounts

By Anita Campbell - July 2, 2009 The Straight Skinny on When to Offer Early Payment Discounts

Some businesses try to encourage early payments from customers by offering what are known as trade terms.  Typical trade terms might be 1/10/30.  Those terms mean that the buyer gets a 1% discount if paying within 10 days, and the balance is due in ...

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How to Get the Most Out Of Facebook Fan Pages

By Lisa Barone - July 2, 2009 How to Get the Most Out Of Facebook Fan Pages

Facebook has come a long way since its inception. No longer just a site for college kids, Facebook has created some amazing advertising opportunities for SMB owners to take advantage of. And those opportunities have become even more powerful with the creation ...

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Combatting The Summer Business Lull

By Lisa Barone - July 1, 2009 Combatting The Summer Business Lull

Welcome to July, folks. We’re now officially knee deep in summer. That means along with the BBQs and sunburns, you’re probably also facing sluggish sales and a loss of in store face time with customers. As happens every year, warmer weather means people are ...

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Take the Time to Manage Customer Reviews

By Lisa Barone - June 30, 2009 Take the Time to Manage Customer Reviews

Not so long ago, Yelp received quite a bit of attention when they began allowing business owners to respond to reviews left on the site. It was something SMB owners and others had been salivating for. And for good reason. Review ...

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How to Become the Center of Everyone’s Attention

By Shirley Frazier - June 29, 2009 How to Become the Center of Everyone's Attention

It’s easy to watch someone else get all the glory. All you have to do is stand and listen. But if you’re an entrepreneur who craves media attention, you may ask yourself, “Why isn’t that me in front of the camera?”

Molding your business into ...

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Sales: It’s About Them, Not You

By Diane Helbig - June 28, 2009 Sales: It's About Them, Not You

So you have a product or service that you think is the greatest thing yet. You believe that people should really want it. And they will as long as you do a good job of explaining why. You think that sales is persuading and convincing.

...

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Recent Research

How Do You Handle Tough Economic Times? - Short survey results on how Small Business Owners are handling the economic crisis. 17 percent are scaling back purchases on inventory to address the crisis. 50 percent feel the economy is having a significant impact on their business.

Small Businesses Plan to Spend More on Advertising in 2009 - Study found that nearly all small businesses are nervous about the economy; however, 26 percent still plan to spend more on advertising this year. 78 percent think that referrals are the best source for new customers. While many doubt mass media advertising, 44 percent found online advertising to be effective.

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