Small Business News March 17
Watch today’s small business news with important details on tax time, innovative marketing tips and startup primers. It’s time for the small business roundup chock full of helpful information for the small business community collected by the Small Business Trends team. Read and enjoy!
Startup
Want a to-do list to stick on the refrigerator for your startup? Ben Yoskovitz has even created a slide show of things to think about before you get in too deep. Instigator Blog
Who needs money, a business plan or a great idea? Why many things you may have thought about starting a business are wrong. Business Pundit
Customer Care
Do ideal clients really exist? If so, here’s how you find them. Walt Goshert
What to say to a customer who’s leaving. It can be just as important as what you say to the ones who stay. M4B Marketing
Clients from hell! Hey, just look at them as a learning experience. Tweak Your Biz
Operations
Are there snakes in your business plan? Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business a while, here’s how to get rid of them for good. Flying Pig Communications
Are you optimistic about your small business? Yet another small business survey shows optimism among small to medium sized businesses about the coming year. Kansas City Business Journal
Marketing
10 components of a winning proposal. Whether you are a freelancer or part of a small business team, here’s what you need to consider to get the jobs you want. FreelanceFolder
What is relationship marketing. These five steps help you boost the relationships that lead to more loyal customers and referrals. Fuelnet
Proper care for your Guerrilla. How to be sure your marketing campaign stays in front of customers and out of trouble. Understanding Marketing
Policy
How will you celebrate your payroll holiday? A small business group says a payroll tax break announced by Washington to encourage hiring won’t do much. Keloland.com
Who would have thought? Small banks are more responsive than big ones. Huffington Post
Legal
IRS warns don’t mix business with pleasure. In this tax season, the agency cautions anyone deducting business related travel not to take a vacation from the rules. IRS.org
Walk the straight and narrow this April. Feds may be gunning for small businesses this year and small contractors may be at the top of the list. The Entrepreneurial Mind
Contests
Extended by popular demand. The groundbreaking SugarTone blogging contest now gives potential participants even longer to get involved. Tweak Your Biz
Great advice on proposal structure. I recently highlighted a similar structure, along with advice for overcoming the eight most common proposal objections here.
James Coan