
I just got back from the recent Inc 500 conference. This was the scene from the lobby level of the Chicago Hilton, looking up to the Inc 500 entrance:
For those of us in the middle of America, holding the event in Chicago made it easier to get to than the usual suspects, i.e., either coast.
And…

Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a two-part column by Robert Levin, Publisher of The New York Enterprise Report, on trends affecting small businesses in 2007. In this second part, Rob examines three more trends: the increasing focus on strategy and planning, development of sales…

Editor’s Note: Robert Levin, Publisher of The New York Enterprise Report, is my guest in this special two-part column on trends affecting small businesses in 2007. In this first part, Rob examines two trends: the trend of the more competitive labor market and the trend toward greater…

Editor’s Note: Our newest guest columnist, Nellie Lide, came to my attention last year with a blog article she had written about shopping trends. I was so impressed with her treatment of the subject, that I invited her to write a guest column on shopping trends you can expect to see more…

Editor’s Note: Last year one of our most popular trends posts was about the pet industry. With pets in 69 million homes in the United States alone, the pet industry attracts many small businesses. So we invited the author, Laura Bennett, CEO of Embrace Pet Insurance, back for this guest post…

At the start of every year I pick the technology tools no small business owner should be without.
This year, I was faced with so much wonderful technology — low cost or in many cases free — that I picked ten items, rather than my traditional five.
Included on the list are technology…

Editor’s Note: Last year, Dawn Rivers Baker wrote a guest article here at Small Business Trends outlining the top trends in microbusinesses for 2006. She was kind enough to update her article for 2007, as below.
By Dawn Rivers Baker
Not too much has changed during the last twelve months…

Greg Balanko-Dickson has challenged me to work on the financial section of the Trends Map. Greg, I accept your challenge.
So what’s this all about?
A couple of days ago I published a link to a very interesting Trends Map by some futurist forecasting folks. I added my comments about the…

The fine folks at Now and Next and Future Exploration Network have published their Trend Blend 2007+, which is a visual map of trends in 2007 and beyond.
This map is a comprehensive look at mega-trends arounds us. I find these graphical depictions of trends fascinating. While no map can tell you…