Small Business News: The Real Deal
Sometimes small business news and advice is just too theoretical, too poetic, too colorful to help the average small business owner or entrepreneur. We get it. That’s why we assemble the Small Business Trends news roundup to give you the news and information you need to start or operate your small business more creatively, more efficiently, more positively than you ever have before. Today’s roundup is no exception with these glimpses of the real deal when it comes to managing your small company. Enjoy!
Entrepreneurship
Focus on your business. Ivan Widjaya shares this post about gaining focus on your small business including some lessons he got from a client. Ivan also shares the main “culprits” that result in loosing focus with your small business. Noobpreneur.com
Marketing
The five fundamentals of marketing. There are many ways to market your small business but Sadhna – “Sally” – Vaishnav shares five bedrock fundamentals that you should definitely consider. Remember, your small business won’t market itself. Business Angel Advisors
Marketing on a budget. In tough economic times, it’s more important than ever for small businesses to use resources wisely. But tight funds should never be as reason to stop marketing since marketing is the best way of bringing new business in. Here are some cost effective solutions to the problem of getting your name out with little or no marketing budget. Small Business Loan Blog
Sales
The “almost” perfect sales process. If you’re an information entrepreneur operating your own Website or Websites and assembling your own online virtual products to offer there, you may want to look at this comprehensive approach to making the sale process as smooth as it can be. Hector Cuevas
Training
Thinking of making budget cuts? Training may be the last thing you should think about getting rid of even during lean times or when cutting back to cope with hard times. That’s because good training can make your people better prepared to weather the coming storm and to help your company grow in the future. TalenTrust
Social Media
Does your business have satellites? Satellite communities can be a critical tool in building your small business’s visibility online. But there are tons of communities out there. So how do you quickly choose the ones that will work well for your business. Small Business Trends
Management
Motivating your workforce. Surrounding yourself with talented people in your small business is critical, but getting them to perform at their peak is another manner. Needless to say, there are many ways of motivating your employees but there are also right ways and wrong ways. Here’s a primer. Winning Workplaces
The Ten Commandments of Business Management. Chris Farmer hasn’t exactly come down from the mountain with a set of stone tablets, but he’s got some pretty strong suggestions for anyone managing a business of any size. In fact, many will work even for a company of one. Think of these as helpful guidelines for managing your small business. Corporate Coach Group
Startups
Bootstrapping with trade credits. So what exactly is a trade credit, and how can you bootstrap a business using them? In fact, use of trade credits can be a useful way of growing your business with little in the way of outside investment or as a way to reduce the kind of investment your small business may need in the beginning. Bootstrapper Handbook for Startups
Customer Service
Keeping those loyal customers. If you didn’t know before, you certainly know it now. Customer retention will be an important part of your small business. Keeping the customers that have been with you from the beginning and those who show up again and again is job one. Here are some tips to learn this very important idea. Business Done Right
Blue Fountain Media
Instructor at Rasmussen College
Thanks for the roundup. As a marketer I especially like the 5 fundamentals (although it is definitely not comprehensive). So many companies in my industry are afraid of marketing, or rely on others… and they also just think about it in terms of advertising. Such a shame, but also a great opportunity for those who look at it differently!
I think internet marketing should be added to the list. It can be very low cost with a very high reach. You tapped into this with mention of Social Media, but most entrepreneurs have no clue how to maximize the value of the internet as a tool for reaching more customers.
Most people that get into internet marketing do not have a product. Small business owners have just the opposite problem. Business schools don’t even teach how to make efficient use of the internet for doing product launches, etc. Not because it’s not a good tool, but simply because the professors have no clue how to do it.